


Barrisco Month 2k15 Ficlets

by kaci3PO



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barrisco Month, Barriscomonth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 29,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5370755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaci3PO/pseuds/kaci3PO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A ficlet a day for Barrisco Month 2k15 on Tumblr. A complete list of the daily prompts can be found <a href="http://barriscomonth.tumblr.com/themes">here</a>. Ficlets are posted daily at <a href="http://kaci3po.tumblr.com/">my Tumblr</a>; AO3 is updated once a week with the most recent stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Fake Dating"

**Author's Note:**

> I can not promise that I won't miss a day, but I haven't so far. If you don't hang out in the tags on Tumblr, feel free to join us! There's been a lot of great stories so far and we'd love to see you there.

If asked, Barry will say he agreed to this out of a sense of responsibility. Cisco is one of his best friends, his very best after Iris, and what kind of friend would Barry be if he made one of his best friends face his quasi-estranged family alone?

"Are you sure you're willing to do this?" Cisco asks. They're standing at his parents' front door, Cisco's hand raised to knock but hovering still in the air several inches away from the wood. Barry's pretty sure that of the two of them, he's the one more willing to go through with this, but then again, it's not his family they're about to face.

"Of course," Barry says. "Caitlin's done this with you plenty of times. She seems to have emerged with her dignity intact."

" _Caitlin's_  never had to pretend to be my date," Cisco counters. "This is uncharted territory."

* * *

 

"Which is sort of the point," Barry answers, because if it weren't for that little snag, Caitlin would probably be here in his place. But Cisco's family knows Caitlin, knows there's not a chance of anything romantic between the two of them, and with Dante engaged, Cisco felt the need to bring a date. Which left Barry.

"I'm serious, Bar. You can back out."

"Don't want to," Barry says, and reaches out to knock on the door to prove his point.

"I tried to warn you," Cisco sighs, and threads their fingers together just as the door swings open.

Barry's not one to judge families, because his is certainly strange enough that he has no place to, but even he can hear the reserved enthusiasm in Cisco's mother's voice when she greets him, "Mijo! You're late, we were wondering when you'd get here." It's not that she sounds _bothered_  to see him; quite the opposite she sounds somewhat pleased about it. But that's just it: _somewhat_. Not quite as much as Cisco deserves.

"Hi, mamá," Cisco replies. He gives her a stiff half-hug with his free arm. "Mom, this is Barry," he says when they part. "He's my boyfriend."

She looks between them, and Barry knows a forced smile when he sees one. "Welcome," she says, and steps aside to let them enter before leaving them in the front doorway, rushing off into living room to carefully arrange the snacks laid out on a table against the far wall.

"It's not the you being a guy thing," Cisco offers. "That's one of the very few things about me my family doesn't have a problem with. It's just that you're here because of me."

"I'm sure that's not it," Barry consoles. "Maybe I smell weird. I was kind of nervous, I probably overdid it on the cologne."

"You smell fine," Cisco laughs. The fact that he's smiling in his parents' house is by itself a reason for Barry to be happy he's doing this. "Trust me, they've never liked anyone I've introduced them to, and the only constant's been me."

Barry squeezes Cisco's hand in his. "Well, midnight mass is going to be fun," he jokes. "Merry Christmas."

Cisco snorts. "I tried to get you to back out."

"Hey," Barry says, turning to face Cisco. He takes his other hand in his, just to drive home his point. "I'm here, aren't I? You don't have to do this alone."

Cisco looks up at him, eyes all soft and so much raw affection there that it nearly knocks Barry off his feet. "You're the best fake boyfriend a guy could have," Cisco says softly.

Barry thinks he meant for it to come out teasing — the words themselves are halfway there already — but they didn't. They came out gentle and sincere and Cisco's frowning like his mouth got away from him.

He shouldn't, he knows that, but Barry's never had to practice restraining himself around Cisco and he simply lacks the skill. "C'mere," he says, and tugs Cisco out of the doorway, taking them just out of eyesight of his family.

"What're you—" Cisco starts, and then Barry kisses him, letting go of his hand only to cradle his face. He feels Cisco's hands hesitate and then settle on his waist before Cisco kisses back, pushing him against the wall and leaning into him.

They stay like that for a long time, Barry nibbling on Cisco's lower lip and Cisco's fingers untucking his dress shirt to stroke at the bare skin underneath. It probably says a lot that no one, not even Cisco's mother, comes looking for them or indeed even notices that they're absent from the family gathering, but Barry has much better things to focus on and he suspects Cisco does, too. When they finally part for air, Cisco leans into him, head resting against Barry's shoulder and both arms locked tight around him. It's just like they've always hugged, except this time their chests are rapidly rising and falling as they both try to catch their breath. For a fleeting moment, Barry wants to pick Cisco up and speed him out of here, but he knows Cisco well enough to know that he isn't there yet.

"That was...unexpected," Cisco says finally. "But nice."

"I'm sure you say that to all your fake boyfriends."

He can feel Cisco smile against him as he cards his fingers through his hair.

"Absolutely," Cisco agrees. "How else would I get them to make out with me? Gotta play on that pity."

"Hey," Barry says, leaning back to meet Cisco's eyes. "That wasn't pity."

"I know," Cisco agrees quietly.

Barry kisses him again, just once because he can, and rubs his hands comfortingly over Cisco's back.

"Are you ready to go in there?" he asks finally. "I'm fine with staying out here but we should probably spring the whole, 'you brought a guy as your date' thing on the rest of your family before we actually arrive at the church for the vigil."

Cisco laughs and straightens up properly, reaching down to take Barry's hand again. "Yeah," he answers. "Suddenly feeling a little bit better about the whole thing. You're good at this."

"At your service," Barry promises. "Any time."


	2. "Cisco’s oral fixation"

Four dates. Four actual, romantic, dinner-and-an-activity dates, which have lead to five kisses; six times holding hands; and countless cold showers for Barry as he tries to remind himself that they agreed to take their relationship slow. Neither one of them wanted to do anything to mess up their friendship, so they agreed to play it safe and hold back on the physicality until they were sure they could handle it. And not that that isn't completely valid and not that Barry doesn't agree with it — he had enthusiastically agreed when they laid down the rule, at least — but now that Barry's been allowed to think of Cisco as anything more than a friend, he's picking up on things he never noticed before. **  
**

Some of it's perfectly innocent — the softness of Cisco's eyes when he looks at Barry, the sweetness of his smile, the way he leans into Barry subconsciously when they stand side by side These are all things Barry now wishes he'd picked up on before, things that would've helped him realize sooner that his affection was returned, but they are, in essence, innocent.

Cisco's mouth? Not so much.

* * *

 

He doesn't mean to. Barry knows that. It's not some kind of intentional grape-flavored torture that Cisco's devised to wreck Barry to his core. It does, though, because now that Barry's noticing, he's realized something: Cisco spends half his life with a lollipop in his mouth. Also: his tongue is soft and pink and he curls it slick around the sweet before letting it pop wetly out of his mouth. Additionally: none of this is even touching on the fact that when Barry speeds into S.T.A.R. Labs to return the suit, Cisco's in slow motion, relatively speaking. It's like his own personal pornographic hell and he's torn between feeling guilty for thinking of Cisco in this way when they've agreed to take things slow and wondering if it's only candy or if Cisco's got an oral fixation in bed, too.

That night, they're kissing on Cisco's couch, mouths hot and open, and Barry can't stop thinking about that mouth on other parts of him, how perfect the sweet suction of these soft lips would feel. He pants against Cisco's mouth, fingers clenching tight in Cisco's shirt, and feels himself start to shake. He has the briefest of moments to start regretting what he knows is about to happen, and then he's coming apart like a teenager.

"Barry?"

Barry drops back against the sofa and covers his eyes with both hands, trying not to think about the picture he must be presenting.

"Sorry. I—I should go."

"What? Hey, no, come on, it's not that big of a deal."

Barry pokes one eye out from behind his hands and raises his eyebrow.

Cisco laughs and tugs at his arms, pulling them down off his face and taking both of his hands in Cisco's own.

"I'm serious, Bar. It's...kind of flattering? What were you thinking about?"

"You," Barry answers honestly. Your— your mouth. The way your—" He lowers his head, looking down at his lap. "We're supposed to be taking this slow, I'm sorry."

"Barry— the whole point of that was for us to be comfortable. I don't feel uncomfortable right now. Do you?"

Barry bites his lip. "No. Embarrassed, yes, but not uncomfortable."

"Good, then."

Barry sighs. "I just...can't stop thinking about your mouth. It's — it's a really good one."

"Ah," Cisco says, then pulls Barry close enough to give him a long, lingering kiss. "Good to know."

He leans back, stroking his thumb over Barry's cheekbone, then nods to himself once, before letting his hand trail down Barry's chest to rest at the button of his jeans.

"If you don't want me to do this, just tell me to stop and I will, okay? No judgement, no awkwardness. I've got a Netflix account and I'm an excellent cuddler. This physical stuff can wait if we want it to."

"What're you—" Barry stops, licks his lips. "What are you going to do?"

Cisco pops the button on Barry's jeans with his thumb and starts to lower the zipper. "First I'm going to get you out of these pants," he says. He lets his fingers dip teasingly under the waistband of Barry's underwear, just enough to keep it sexy and not awkward.

"Then I was thinking...you need to clean up, right? And here I am with this mouth I'm not using for anything else, so…"

Even to his own ears, Barry sounds like he's about to shatter into a million little pieces when he replies, amazed, "Fuck."

"Yeah," Cisco says. "It can be used for that, too."


	3. "Jealousy"

There's this feeling Barry gets, low in the pit of his stomach. It's not comparable to a punch in the gut; that would imply that it's sudden and forceful but fades quickly. Instead, it's chronic and _throbs_ , sometimes dulling before returning full-force to twist his stomach into knots. He's felt it for as long as he can remember, since even before visitors from the future turned his childhood on its head. For more than a decade, he identifies this feeling primarily with Iris: this gnawing, aching want deep in his core. He associates it with her so strongly that when it comes to him unbidden in the cortex of S.T.A.R. Labs, he almost doesn't recognize it. **  
**

Like all throbbing aches, it doesn't hit him suddenly. It comes to him slow, licking at the edges of his awareness until he's bidden to realize that he's in pain and can't pinpoint the moment it began. It rose slowly, over time, digging its way into his awareness inch by inch until it became impossible to ignore. He dips his head and watches from behind his eyelashes as, across the room, Cisco's hand lingers on Ray's, his eyes soft and fond and pleased. Barry wonders if Cisco's ever looked at him like that. He realizes: _I want him to._

This ache is not:

_I wish I were Ray,_

nor even:

 _I wish someone would smile at me like that_ ,

but rather:

 _I wish he would smile like that because of me_.


	4. "Theatre AU"

"Are you sure about this?" **  
**

The tech pops his ever-present lollipop out of his mouth with a soft, wet suck and Barry swallows roughly, fidgeting in the harness.

"You want to be Peter Pan, you've got to learn to fly," he says. "I've rigged up flying harnesses on more stages than you'll ever act on. They're kind of my jam."

Barry snorts. "Jam or not I'd prefer not to fall to my death, thanks. I still remember the horror stories that came out of that Spider-Man musical."

The tech huffs. "That wasn't me. The guy who rigged that up was grossly incompetent, I saw his specs and frankly I was offended on behalf of engineering as a concept."

"Still. Mistakes happen."

"Not with my toys," he says, and pops his candy back into his mouth. "Hold still."

* * *

 

"Sorry," Barry says. "It's just really uncomfortable."

"It shouldn't be. Did you —" He squints at Barry's groin, then sighs, which is admittedly not the reaction Barry enjoys getting from attractive people who happen to be staring at that area of his body.

"What?" he asks.

"You put it on backwards," the tech says. "No wonder you're uncomfortable."

He sinks to his knees in front of Barry like that's a perfectly normal thing to do in the middle of an empty stage. They're alone, thank goodness, because Barry can't hide the blush that warms his face, especially not when the tech looks up at him from his spot on the floor, eyes meeting Barry's while his soft, pink lips continue to suckle on the lollipop. Barry thinks he might pass out.

The tech takes the candy from his mouth, another wet pop making Barry's knees feel weak, and raises it up toward Barry.

"Hold this."

Barry takes it, and then the tech reaches for his waist with both hands, undoing the harness before sliding it down his hips.

Barry swallows thickly and says, "You know, most people at least buy me a drink before they start undressing me. I don't even know your name."

The tech smirks and licks his lips, and Barry can't decide which is worse, if he did it subconsciously or if it was intentional.

"Cisco," he says. "Lift your feet."

Barry does, obligingly stepping out of the harness so that Cisco can have it back.

He looks like he's concentrating very hard as he takes out a screwdriver and starts tinkering with the joints of the harness, and after a moment he holds his hand out towards Barry, rapidly opening and closing his fist several times when Barry just stares at it. After a moment, Barry realizes he wants the lollipop back and obliges, only just managing to hold back a groan when Cisco's tongue darts out to meet it as he brings it back to his mouth.

Barry shifts uncomfortably. With Cisco's still on his knees, he'll be right at eye level if Barry loses control — which is feeling more and more likely the longer Cisco's kneeling before him and practically fellating his lollipop.

Before he even has a chance to register what's happening, Cisco sets down the harness then reaches out, resting his hands low on Barry's hips. He leaves them there for a long moment as Barry's face heats up, and then he returns to the harness briefly before holding it out in front of Barry.

"Okay, step into it," he says.

Barry starts to, one foot sliding into the correct hole easily, and then raises the other. He's not exactly sure how it happens, but his other foot trips over the harness and he loses his balance. He wobbles precariously for one brief moment and then he's going down, falling forward onto Cisco. He lands hard, feeling Cisco let out a small whuff of air as both his breath and his lollipop — which goes skittering across the floor — gets knocked out of him when his chest cushions Barry's fall.

Cisco's hands are at his waist, his fingers on Barry's bare skin where his shirt rode up. He looks up at Barry, amusement in his eyes, and asks, "Now who should be buying who a drink? I don't usually do _this_ without at least a couple beers first."

Barry can't help it, he laughs and buries his face against Cisco's neck until it stops. One of Cisco's hands moves to the small of his back and holds him tight, the other sliding lower, resting on the swell of his ass. Barry's breath stutters and Cisco raises an eyebrow, checking to be sure, and then he leans up to press their mouths together.

Barry's lost in the kiss when Cisco flips them, stretching out languidly over Barry's body without breaking the kiss. Barry clutches at his sides, admittedly a little dazed.

"For the record," Cisco says, and pauses long enough to nip at Barry's lower lip before soothing the spot with his tongue. Barry lets out a soft moan and Cisco smiles before continuing. "For the record," he repeats, "I wasn't actually _trying_ to seduce you. I’m a professional. I just want to be clear on that."

Barry hums and licks a wet stripe up the side of Cisco's neck. He gasps, tensing against Barry before sighing into it, rolling his hips against Barry's just once before he gets himself back under control.

"Workplace accidents." Barry gives as much of a shrug as he can manage, pinned to the floor as he is, and brushes the hair out of Cisco's eyes. "At least this one's going to involve blow jobs and not me falling to my death in your crazy contraption."

"Don't insult my rig," Cisco murmurs. His voice comes out low and dark and Barry gives a full body shiver as Cisco reaches between them to pop the button on Barry's jeans.

"Sorry," Barry gasps. "Sorry, I won't, just— touch me? Please?"

"Do ya one better," Cisco says, and kisses Barry once more before sliding down to press an open-mouthed kiss against the curve of his hip.

The harness lays forgotten several feet away, but Barry feels like he's flying anyway.


	5. "Soulmates"

In the rush of stabilizing the repeatedly coding patient Dr. Wells had delivered into their laps, Cisco doesn't even notice. There's too much going on, too many places his hands need to be so Caitlin can continue her work. He loses track of how many times the heart monitor flattens, hyper-focusing until the only input his brain receives is Caitlin's voice, calling out orders for his hands to follow.

By the time the heart monitor levels out, Cisco feels ready to pass out from the stress. He hears Caitlin snapping off her latex gloves, and then he slumps down into the nearest chair with his head in his hands. For a long moment, the only sound is the monitor's steady beep, then Dr. Wells says, "It's okay, Cisco. She saved him."

Cisco raises his head, confused. "What?"

"Cisco," Caitlin says quietly, and he turns to her just in time to see her tap her shoulder. He glances down at his own, rubbing it gently where, beneath his shirt, the name _Bartholomew Allen_ is written on his skin in scarlet ink.

* * *

 

Despite his exhaustion, he stands and returns to the hospital bed, looking down at the man whose life he just helped Caitlin save. He's attractive, lithe and freckled. Cisco hadn't noticed in the rush, but even silent and still there's no denying he's pretty. He hesitates before he looks, not knowing whether he wants it to be true or not, then shifts the man's bicep in order to get his first look at the name on his shoulder.

_Francisco Ramon._

His own name, shining on the man's — on Bartholomew's — pale skin.

His breath catches in his throat and he sinks back down into the chair.

"He's okay, Cisco," Caitlin says. "He's stable."

Cisco nods numbly and rubs his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans.

"There's every indication he'll wake up," she continues, but it's all just suddenly too much.

He stands, opens his mouth to say something — anything — to explain himself, but finds himself lacking. After a moment, he turns on his heel and strides from the room, forcing himself to keep breathing as he makes his way out of the building and toward the nearest bar.

He's two drinks in when Caitlin sits down beside him, her hand instantly covering his.

"He goes by Barry," she says after a moment. He turns to her, surprised, as she continues, "That's probably why you've never been able to find him online before."

"How do you—"

"He has a Facebook profile," she says, and takes her hand away so she can dig into her bag and pull out his tablet. When he unlocks it, it opens to Barry's page, a thankfully public treasure trove of information. He pours over it hungrily, devouring every scrap, every offhand comment, desperately trying to absorb everything he can about this man he's meant to spend the rest of his life with. When he looks up, Caitlin gives him a gentle smile and kisses him on the cheek.

"We can make you a place to stay at the lab," she says. "Dr. Wells already okay'ed it. Legally speaking, you're his next of kin now that we know you're his mate, so all his medical decisions have to go through you."

Cisco swallows. "I can't — Caitlin I've never _met_ him. Not really."

"But you know him," she says. "Somehow."

He glances back at the tablet, idly reading Barry's list of favorite books, and then nods slowly.

"Come on," she says, holding out her hand to him. "His adoptive father showed up right after you left, and I don't think he's going to believe us that you just inherited his power of attorney until we show him your tattoo."

"Caitlin, I can't — I can't do this. That's — fuck, that's my future in-law. I can't meet him like this. I haven't even met Barry yet." He pauses at the name, the way it slides of his tongue, and groans. "It's too fast, Caitlin. It's just — it's too fucking fast."

"I know," she says. "Cisco, I _know_ , but he needs you."

It's this thought more than anything else that finally compels Cisco to stand and lay down enough cash to cover his drinks.

"Come on," Caitlin urges gently, and he follows her to the door.

***

Cisco's at Barry's bedside when he wakes, holding his hand tightly between his. Barry comes to awareness slowly, blinking owlishly around the room before his eyes settle on Cisco's. A smile spreads through his features, tugging at the corners of his lips until he's looking at Cisco with raw emotion that Cisco can't even begin to understand.

Cisco rises, leaning close and pressing their mouths together. He cups the side of Barry's face and feels him shiver before he kisses back, sliding his fingers into Cisco's hair. He's covered in wires and Cisco can feel them caught between them, but he doesn't care. He's spent the last nine months not knowing if his soulmate would ever open his eyes. Everything else can wait.

When they part, Barry's still looking at him with that same tenderness, only now it's like it's been cranked up to eleven. He gives a soft laugh and strokes his fingers over Cisco's face, like he can't even believe that Cisco's real.

"I'm Barry," he says, and Cisco laughs before bumping their noses together affectionately.

"Cisco.” Barry's grin somehow widens.

"I've been waiting for you," Barry says.

"Yeah," Cisco agrees, and presses another kiss to Barry's mouth. "I know how you feel."


	6. "Switching Powers"

"How do we fix this?" Barry asks. For once, they're both sharing the hospital bed, Caitlin frowning at both of them. She doesn't like things she can't explain, Cisco knows that well, but _none_ of them can explain it so it's hardly either of their faults.

"How did this even _happen_?" Cisco counters. His body feels like it's thrumming with energy and his legs, where he's swinging them back and forth off the edge of the bed, are a blur of movement.

* * *

 

"She must be able to switch people's powers," Iris says. "Or...borrow them and then give them to someone else."

"We don't even know if I got Cisco's powers," Barry argues. No one tries to argue that Cisco didn't get Barry's. That much was obvious from the start.

"You should try to vibe," Caitlin says. "It would help if we knew who has what powers and which ones we need to switch."

"You think I still might have mine?" Cisco asks. "Like I got both?"

Caitlin shrugs. "I don't know what to think, Cisco. It's not like we have an operating manual."

Sighing heavily with annoyance, Harry strides over and grabs Cisco by the wrist. He stares expectantly and then huffs, "You have to at least try, Ramon, or we'll never figure this out."

Cisco reaches out tentatively, trying to let his mind open. After a full minute has passed, he shakes his head.

"Nothing."

Harry drops his wrist and reaches for Barry, who recoils so hard he nearly falls off the bed backward. Cisco throws himself between them and nearly gets sick when he moves so fast it feels like teleportation. He tugs Barry off the bed and backs them both away from Harry, keeping Barry tucked behind him.

"Don't touch him," Cisco warns.

"We've got to figure out if he can—"

"I don't want to see his life," Barry says firmly. "I'll try on Cisco."

"Fine by me," Cisco says, and turns to face him. Barry hesitates, then reaches out and takes Cisco's hand in his.

Almost instantly, his eyes go distant and unfocused. Cisco's never actually seen what he looks like when it happens, but he recognizes it instantly. His breath catches in his throat and then Barry comes out of it, shaking and looking at Cisco with wide eyes.

"I can vibe," he says, surprised.

"I'll get to work figuring out a way to reverse it," Harry snaps, and storms out of the med bay.

Cisco turns back to Caitlin and Iris, who are both frowning and looking worried.

"You should both get some rest," Caitlin says finally. "We'll call you if there's any news."

Cisco nods and turns back to Barry, who looks away quickly. When he doesn't move, Cisco realizes what he wants and holds out his arms awkwardly. Barry gets a tight grip around his neck and Cisco sweeps his legs out from under him in one smooth motion, shifting him awkwardly in his arms. He takes off at what feels like barely more than a brisk walk, and he hears Barry give a soft gasp before he buries his face against Cisco's neck.

Cisco's never seen him like this before and it scares him. Barry's supposed to be the hero, so what does that make Cisco?

He sets Barry down on the couch when they arrive at Cisco's apartment and then retrieves him a glass of water. Barry's several inches taller than him but right now he feels smaller, like he's somehow shrank in on himself without his powers.

Barry takes a sip, sets the glass down, and gives a full body shiver. After a deep breath, he looks up at Cisco again and finally looks like someone who at least resembles the Barry Allen he knows and loves.

"Vibing sucks," he says, and Cisco can't help but laugh.

"I tried telling you guys. See why I wanted rid of it?" At Barry's look, he hastens to add, "Not like this, though." When Barry says nothing, Cisco asks, "What'd you see when you vibed on me, anyway?"

"Nothing important," Barry says hurriedly. "Just you in the cortex with Caitlin."

"That's it? You're way too freaked out for just _that_."

Barry winces. "Can I just — can I try something?"

Cisco shrugs and holds out his hand, expecting Barry to take it and try to vibe again. Instead, Barry uses it to tug him forward and kisses him firmly on the mouth.

Which, okay. That's new.

Cisco holds very still, unsure what his reaction is supposed to be. Is he supposed to kiss back? What exactly is Barry trying?

Barry pulls back several long moments later and bites his lip. Unfair tactics.

"Sorry," Barry says. "I guess I misunderstood, or—"

Cisco's voice is rough even to his own ears when he says, "No, it— misunderstood what?"

Barry puts his head in his hands, staring down at the ground as he answers, "When I vibed on you, I saw you in the cortex with Caitlin. I guess it was one of those times our comms got cut, because you were both shouting for me and I wasn't answering. And after a couple of minutes, and I still hadn't answered, you stopped. You just...collapsed. Caitlin had tears in her eyes, but you— " He stops, then looks up at Cisco. "Sorry, I thought...it seemed like it was a lot. Like maybe — like maybe you felt really strongly about me."

"I do," Cisco promises. "I remember that day. We thought you were gone."

"I know. I just thought — I'm sorry."

"Hey," Cisco says, reaching out to take Barry's hands in his. They move quicker than he means them to and he gives a huff of frustration at the speed, which makes Barry look up and laugh.

"Barry, you just— surprised me, is all. I didn't know why you were kissing me."

"You don't have to say that," Barry says. "It's okay, I can handle rejection, I promise. We're still bros."

"No, Barry—" Cisco sighs. "I just— if you wanted to kiss me. Like really, truly wanted to kiss me because you actually like me that way, then yes. I want you to. But I don't want it to be because you saw something in my head and now you feel like you have to, like you feel guilty or something. After what happened with you and Iris, I wouldn't put it past you to kiss me just so I didn't have to feel the way you did after that. I'm a big boy, Barry. You handled it, and I can, too."

"If we get our powers back," Barry says, "I want you to vibe on me. You wouldn't be asking me this if you'd seen what's inside my head."

"Oh," Cisco says softly.

"Yeah."

"Then maybe _I_ should try something," Cisco says lightly.

This time when Barry kisses him, Cisco doesn't pull away.


	7. "Meeting the Relatives"

Cisco feels very small sitting on the couch in Joe's living room. Even with Barry beside him — _a literal superhero_ , his mind helpfully supplies — Joe is a formidable figure as he paces on the other side of the coffee table. Cisco's genuinely not sure which of the three of them are more embarrassed.

"Sorry," Barry finally says beside him. "It's just — we didn't have locks on our doors when we were kids, and you didn't put any on after we left, so —"

"I should've knocked," Joe says, not actually looking at either of them. "It's just — this wasn't a problem when you were in high school."

Cisco can't stop the snigger that bursts out of him, which prompts Barry to huff, "I was a late bloomer, so sue me."

* * *

 

"It's cute," Cisco assures him. "You're like the ugly duckling who turned into a super hot swan."

Joe gives a soft groan and drops into a chair.

"You understand," he says, "that I don't _mind_. It's just there are some things a man can not unsee. Things like his metahuman consultant pantsless."

Now it's Cisco's turn to blush. Barry's too, actually, since it was his fault Cisco was pantsless in the first place.

"I could put a tie on the door?" Barry suggests.

"Or we could go to my place," Cisco counters. "Because even with a tie there'd still be...noises."

"Dear God," Joe says quietly.

"I could run back in time and stop you from opening the door," Barry says helpfully.

"Don't," Cisco says firmly. "If you mess with time, something worse always ends up happening in its place. Think of how much worse it could be."

Barry looks like he might be ill.

"Not to mention you'd both remember this," Joe says. "Although at least I wouldn't." He sounds wistful, but thankfully he doesn't push it on Barry changing the timeline.

"We're just going to have to learn to live with this," Cisco says.

"We'll just not look each other in the eye," Joe agrees. "At least until the images have faded." He gives a horrible shudder and opines, "The _images_."

"Well," Barry says, getting to his feet. "We're never going to speak of this again."

"Never," Cisco agrees. "Can you take us to my place now?"

Being sped away in Barry's arms has never been such a relief.


	8. "Poly or Threesome"

It's nothing Barry would ever ask for. Cisco knows him well enough to know that Barry's got a martyr complex a mile wide and would probably spend a week hating himself for even the passing thought. This is why, ultimately, it's down to him and Patty.

He doesn't know how long into their relationship Barry waited before telling her about their "blind" date, but she's the one to come to him, an offer to buy him a coffee at Jitters turning quickly into an awkward conversation about how she can't help thinking that the three of them are sort of perfect for each other.

* * *

 

Cisco's protestations are cursory at best; he'd liked her from the day he first met her, and he's been gone for Barry since the word go.

As it turns out, when you put three socially awkward nerds into a room with two of them planning to seduce the third, you mostly end up with a very confused Barry.

Cisco almost feels sorry for him. The poor guy's brow is furrowed so hard Cisco thinks he might sprain something.

Patty sighs and asks, "A little help here, Cisco?"

Cisco frowns thoughtfully, trying to figure out a way to make Barry get it without resorting to obscene hand gestures, and finally says, pointing at each of them in turn, "You're Han. She's Leia. I'm Luke."

Barry's eyes go wide, and he nearly falls off the couch.

"Oh," he says, almost numbly. And then, " _Oh_."

"Only if you're okay with it, of course."

"Are you two—" Barry starts. "I mean, have you two— are you cheating on me and this is your way of trying to hide it?"

Cisco snorts. " _Dude_. Did you not hear me? I'm Luke, she's Leia. You're the one in the middle of this Skywalker sandwich."

Barry licks his lips, then looks back and forth between them.

"And you're both...okay with this?"

"Very," Patty says emphatically. "But only if you are."

Barry bites his lip (not fair) and looks up at Cisco. "And you?"

"I am so on board with this plan," Cisco says, admittedly way too eagerly. "But yeah, only if you are."

"Can— can I see you two kiss?"

Cisco raises his eyebrow at Barry, but happily kisses back when Patty fits her mouth against his. He hears Barry gasp but he keeps going, cradling her face and pulling her closer. They separate when it becomes clear that Barry's not going to stop them, and find him looking dazed, mouth slightly open and staring.

"Okay," Barry says. " _Okay_. Now me."

Cisco's happy to oblige that request, too.


	9. "Future AU/Reunion"

One would think that after five years of trying and failing to find a way to get to Barry Allen, a guy might give it up as a bad job. Unfortunately for Cisco, not only is Barry Allen his boyfriend, but thanks to a certain particle accelerator explosion, Cisco's had the privilege of watching Barry desperately trying to do the same thing from his side of the barrier between worlds.

They switched, see? A fucking twist of fate left Jay Garrick stuck on Earth-1 and Barry Allen stranded on Earth-2 when destroying Zoom and returning the Speed Force to its original owners closed the barriers between worlds. Each world got a fully-powered Flash and screw anyone who cared about someone trapped on the other side. He doesn't begrudge Caitlin that she got to keep Jay. He just wanted to keep Barry, too. 

The worst part — aside from _all of it_ is that vibing is like a one-way mirror. He can see Barry on Earth-2, see him constantly working with Jay's old friends, but he can't communicate. And not only can Barry not communicate with him, either, but he also doesn't even know Cisco is there. Cisco couldn't bring himself to check in on Barry for over a week when he peeked in once and saw Barry in a moment of despair, wondering if Team Flash had forgotten about him, like they could just lift Barry out and slide Jay in and go on about their lives as usual. The implications didn't hurt him — after five years, Cisco can't say he wouldn't entertain the same thought — but he couldn't bear to see Barry in that much pain. Maybe it's his metahuman capabilities or maybe it's just plain old love, but he can feel Barry's pain across the multiverse and it's slowly killing him.

And then one day Jay turns up on his doorstep and says, "I got him."

Cisco doesn't ask how he did it. He should probably care — the last time they breached the walls between worlds, they created a singularity that nearly destroyed Central City — but he doesn't. In that moment, all he cares about is that Jay steps aside and there's Barry, looking five years older and a little worse for wear but alive and in the right universe.

His breath catches in his throat as Barry stares at him with tears in his eyes and then he throws himself into Barry's arms, holding him tight and kissing every inch of skin he can reach. It's a relief when Barry kisses back, because for all that Cisco checked in on him, he always wondered if maybe Barry had moved on after five long years apart, but his lips are just as soft as Cisco remembers and his heart still beats in time with Cisco's own.

He's not exactly sure what happens to Jay. He assumes he left somewhere around Barry pulling Cisco's shirt off but frankly he could've stayed and popped a bag of popcorn for all Cisco actually cares. All that matters is Barry's skin against his, the feeling of Barry alive and real, someone tangible and not just a vision in his head.

Strictly speaking, it probably wasn't a good idea to immediately have sex. Five years is a long time and there are so many things they need to talk about, so many important discussions that need to take place. But there's something to be said for speaking with their bodies, too, for letting sweaty skin do the talking and desperate kisses fill the silence.

It's not until after, when they're curled up together, breaths falling into sync, that Cisco realizes neither of them have actually said a single word since Barry came home.

"I'm sorry," he says finally. "I— I would've torn a hole in the universe for you. I wanted to rip it apart with my bare hands. I didn't — I didn't care about singularities or breaches or — or any of it. But I don't have the speed. And Jay — I know it was wrong. I know. But for so long I hated him because he wouldn't destroy the multiverse until he found you."

Barry pulls Cisco closer, tugging until Cisco's head rests on his shoulder. "I wanted to, too. I _could've_. But I didn't. Don't be sorry, Cisco. I'm just as much at fault as you are."

"We never forgot about you, you know," Cisco whispers. "We never stopped trying."

"I know. And I love you for that."

"You still love me?"

It's a ridiculous question in the face of everything they've been through, but there's a small, desperate part of Cisco that still remembers the sight of Barry's despair, that needs to hear him say it before it can be believed.

Barry gives him a smile he hasn't seen in half a decade and promises, "Always."


	10. "FOR SCIENCE!"

There's a lot about Barry's physiology that's changed since he became a speedster. They've all lost track of how many experiments Caitlin has performed on him, and Barry himself has reported a lot of his own observations, too. And hey, Cisco is so on board with science. He loves science, science is great. He just never expected that he'd be participating in an experiment quite this way.

"This is the weirdest thing I've ever done in bed," Cisco says. Barry looks up at him from between his thighs and laughs, his grin somewhere between charming and embarrassed. "I'm serious, babe. You owe me."

Barry scoffs. "If it works, you'll regret saying that."

"If it works, I'm sure I will, but I'm not convinced you have enough muscle control in that particular body part to do it."

Barry nudges Cisco's thighs apart just a little wider and presses into him, solid and familiar. Cisco sighs, momentarily content, and adjusts his hips to fit better against Barry's.

"Remember that Caitlin will kill us if we turn up on her gurney needing to be patched up because of this," he cautions, and then braces himself.

Parts of Barry start and then stop blurring as he searches for the right muscles to make it work. Cisco watches, unimpressed, as all the parts of Barry that he can see resolve themselves into his boyfriend. Then just when he's ready to start gloating about being right, he feels it.

As absolutely _ridiculous_ as it sounds in his own head, he realizes immediately that it's true: inside him, Barry's cock is _vibrating_ with his speed, and holy _fuck_ that is unexpectedly amazing.

His eyes go wide and a gasp is torn from his throat. He can barely breathe; it's immediately too much to handle.

"Is it— fuck, is that good?" Barry pants. He looks like he's having just as hard of a time as Cisco is.

"Fuck, shit, Barry, fuck, don't stop, please, fuck, just— _fuck_ , please—"

He's babbling. He knows that. But _holy shit_ his boyfriend is a human vibrator, what's he supposed to do with that?

He comes with a scream, and Barry follows immediately after, way too soon for both of them. They collapse together and Cisco wants to laugh at the pair of them: panting like they've run a marathon and twitching with aftershocks. All over something as patently ridiculous-sounding as his boyfriend's ability to _vibrate his dick_.

"I think we have to break up," Cisco says finally. Barry looks up at him, alarmed, so Cisco laughs and continues, "It's selfish of me to keep this gift to humanity to myself. I have to break up with you so that you can share this with everyone."

Barry snorts and buries his face against Cisco's neck, pressing a soft kiss to his skin. "I save the world enough. This one stays between me and you."

"I'm alright with that," Cisco assures.

"Hey, thanks for letting me try it."

"Oh, totally," Cisco says, grinning. "Just remember, you owe me."

"I do," Barry agrees. "And how am I going to repay you?"

Cisco eats crow and admits, "By doing that again."


	11. "Monster AU"

"So how old are you, exactly?" Barry asks. His voice sounds calm and mildly curious, which he thinks is more than should really be expected of him, given what he's dealing with. Beside him, Cisco's hands are shoved deep into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. The normalcy of his appearance is discordant with the question; the man beside him looks like an average twenty-something in his plain Converse and periodic table t-shirt. Barry shouldn't need to ask it at all.

"About three hundred," Cisco says, shrugging his shoulders. "Give or take a few decades."

"A few decades," Barry whispers faintly to himself. And then, "Are you _sure_ you're not just messing with me?"

Cisco gives him an almost embarrassed-looking smile and tucks his hair behind his ear, revealing the way it comes to a forward-curving point at the top. "You can touch it if you want," he says. "See for yourself."

Hesitantly, Barry reaches out and runs his finger over the point of Cisco's ear before holding it lightly between his thumb and forefinger. It's definitely not silicon from the feel of it and it looks too realistic to be a fake.

"This is a lot to take in," Barry admits. "This is only our fifth date. I was hoping to get laid tonight, but suddenly, the guy I'm seeing is an elf."

Cisco snorts. "You might still get laid, if you play your cards right," he says slyly.

"Don't distract me," Barry cautions. "I don't even know if our biology is — I mean. _Can_ we?"

Cisco gestures Barry over to a park bench and takes both of Barry's hands in his as they sit. "We can," he says, "but I get the feeling that's not what you really want to ask."

Barry looks away and bites his lip, but doesn't doesn't stop holding Cisco's hands.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asks finally. "What's the catch? Am I about to get sucked into some kind of war between humans and elves? Are hobbits involved? Or wait, is this a forbidden romance thing? Or are you trying to prepare me for some sort of ritual we have to do?"

Cisco laughs, loud and beautiful. Barry had felt drawn to that laugh since the first time he heard it in his favorite coffee shop. Now that he knows, he can hear the not-quite-human notes in it.

"I told you because we're _dating_ ," Cisco says. "I'm three hundred years old, Barry. I'm a little old fashioned. I don't like to have secrets that big when I let someone I'm seeing into my bed. No wars, no forbidden romances, and our biology is perfectly compatible — at least, it's compatible enough for us both to enjoy ourselves. And anyway, I like keeping my hair tied up when I'm relaxing at home, and it'll be nice to be able to share that intimacy with you. It's not something a lot of people get to see, since I have to keep it down to hide the ears in public."

"Oh," Barry says quietly. "So...so it's because you trust me?"

"You're the most trustworthy human I've ever met."

Barry looks up at him, at those warm, kind eyes Barry has been slowly falling in love with. He's always thought Cisco was unfairly beautiful, and at least now he finally has an explanation for why. He reaches up to tuck the other side of Cisco's hair behind his ears, taking in the sight of both of them in all their pointed glory. He thinks, _I can work with this_ , and kisses him.


	12. "High School AU"

Cisco isn't sure why he's here, in this meeting, hands shaking in his lap and unable to meet anyone's eyes. He's already too nerdy for the other nerds, too unpopular to even sit at the loser's table at lunch, and that was before anyone knew about him — well, about _him_. It feels like he's rubbing salt into his own wound by being here in this room, like he's handing ammo to the people who hate him most, but his voice is remarkably steady when it's his turn to speak and he says, in the general direction of his own sneakers, "I'm Cisco and…bisexual."

"You next, Barry," the group leader ( _"Bette, lesbian"_ ) says and the boy on Cisco's right replies, "Barry Allen. I'm… confused, mostly, but I _think_ bisexual?"

So far he's the only one who's actually admitted to being confused, though Cisco could hear it in the voices of at least three others. He'd wanted to tell them they didn't have to feel pressured into a label if they weren't sure, but that would've involved speaking directly to another human being in this school, and Cisco learned his lesson about trying that a long time ago.

"Being confused is normal," Bette says, and there's a chorus of relieved sighs from around the room. "You don't have to decide, ever, if you don't want to." She sounds like she's reading from a pamphlet or self-help book, but Cisco doesn't begrudge her that. She's a sophomore trying to lead a group of nervous and terrified high schoolers — half of whom are older than her — through something that doesn't really come with a manual. If she needs to quote the closest thing any of them have in order to do that, Cisco doesn't begrudge her that.

"Thanks," Barry says, and Cisco finally allows himself to stop staring at his own shoes.

Barry looks a little pale beside him, which is understandable considering how much he's risking by being here. He's already hated throughout the school for being the son of a murderer, but unlike Cisco he's not obscure enough to keep his head down and avoid most of it. People _know_ Barry, and they relish in taking every opportunity to remind him of it.

He doesn't know Barry Allen all that well; they've been lab partners a few times, mostly because everyone else pairs up and the two of them are left alone, but that's about the extent of their interactions. Still, everyone knows how much Barry gets bullied. Cisco can't even imagine going through all that and then still sitting here in this meeting, handing them more ammo, especially when Barry's not even _sure_.

He doesn't know what compels him to do it. Pity, maybe, or empathy more like, but when the meeting is over twenty minutes later, he turns to Barry and asks, "Want to go for a walk?"

Barry looks surprised, but he agrees, so together they start off for the general direction of their shared neighborhood.

For the first five minutes, neither of them says anything, hands shoved into their pockets and staring at their own feet, before finally Barry asks, "I know this is a cliche question, but...how did you know?"

Cisco doesn't need to ask for clarification. "Not to be gross about it, but I'd think about different people when I — you know, and from there I realized I _liked_ them, too."

"Oh," Barry says, with the air of someone who's heard that and many other answers besides a million times, and still not found an answer that suits.

"Why, do you not…?"

"No," Barry says shortly. "I mean...I do _that_ — you know, hormones — but I don't...I don't really think about people?" He says this like it's a question, and maybe it is, because Cisco's confused now, too.

"What, like you just see their bodies but they don't have faces?"

"No, I mean—" He sighs. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Who would I tell?" Cisco asks. "I have no friends."

Barry gives him a sad smile and nods. "Yeah. Okay, I— I don't really picture _people_. I think about...emotions." He rubs the heels of his hands against both eyes and lets out a noise of frustration. "That sounds so _stupid_ when I say it out loud. I just mean...I don't think, 'She's hot,' or 'I want him to touch me,' when I'm doing that. I think about the way certain people make me feel. Like...love. And trust. And feeling comfortable and safe."

"I think a lot of people want to feel comfortable and safe," Cisco says, confused.

"But they still have bodies they attach to it," Barry says flatly. "I don't. It's like I can't get turned on unless I have backstory in my head about being in love. Like I don't even _want_ to be with someone like that until I feel that way. Like the thought of looking at someone and thinking about sex doesn't even _occur_ to me until I'm in love." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "You think I'm a freak, don't you?"

"No," Cisco says honestly. "I'm not sure I understand, but I don't think you're a _freak_. It sounds nice, honestly. That's not how it works for me, but if that's it does for you, then that's good. Why'd you say bisexual, though? In the meeting, I mean."

"Oh. I guess because it's not just girls who make me feel that way. In love, I mean."

Cisco nods. "I see why you said you were confused."

Barry snorts. "Yeah. Hey, uh...thanks for listening, I guess. I know I made no sense, and I still don't know what it is, but I feel a little better."

Cisco smiles and nudges Barry with his shoulder. "Why don't we talk more, anyway? We're in all the same AP classes."

"You just always seem so...aloof," Barry says, after a moment's thought. "I never wanted to bother you."

"Dude, you are _so_ not a bother," Cisco says, though he's secretly pleased to hear he comes off aloof instead of lonely and pathetic.

"Yeah?" Barry says, grinning. "Hey, come over to my house for dinner. Joe and Iris won't mind. Joe will probably just be happy I have a friend."

A friend. Cisco loves the sound of that word coming out of Barry Allen's mouth. They could be _friends_.

"Okay," he says, "that sounds great."


	13. "Our Suit"

When Barry flashed people around, he usually carried them in one of two ways: a fireman's carry when their dignity didn't particularly matter, like emergencies, or a bridal-style carry when he could. He's carried people around hundreds of times and he's always employed one of these two methods. So it's unusual, then, that now he finds himself holding his boyfriend by the hips, Cisco's legs wrapped around his waist. He wouldn't be able to do it if Cisco weren't smaller than him, but luckily for them both, he is.

He's not quite sure how it happened — there was an explosion, and Cisco was running away from it full-pelt toward Barry. When they collided, Barry went to pick him up to speed him away and Cisco, not having stopped his run, sort of...leaped at Barry. Barry had caught him, and when Cisco's legs wrapped around his waist even as his arms wrapped around Barry's neck, that was all Barry had needed to know: he got an arm around Cisco's hips to support him and took off, speeding them away to safety.

So here they are, miles away in Barry's bedroom, alive and panting, Cisco still in Barry's arms and holding tight to his neck. Cisco pulls back enough to stare at him, and Barry can see it in his eyes, the moment he gets overcome with the fact that they survived. Cisco kisses him hard, not even bothering to pull the cowl back first, and Barry kisses him back just as fiercely. He moves towards the bed but Cisco pulls back, staring at Barry with wide-blown pupils.

"No," he says. "Just — just like this."

* * *

 

"Against the wall?" Barry suggests.

"Yeah," Cisco says. "Yeah, fuck, don't put me down, Barry, okay? The wall is good."

He's across the room in a blink, Cisco's back pressed into the wall as Barry kisses him, both of them gasping for air when Cisco finally stops kissing him long enough to remove Barry's cowl.

He smiles at him softly, just for a moment, and then they're kissing again.

Barry gets a hand between them, loving the way Cisco's head falls back against the wall when Barry touches him. Cisco practically writhes against him, bucking into Barry's hand with what little leverage he can muster in this position. Not for the first time, Barry takes a moment to ponder how _beautiful_ Cisco is and how lucky Barry is that he's the one Cisco's chosen to be with.

Cisco comes with Barry's name on his lips, panting hard and fingers clenched tight against Barry's arms. He sags back against the wall and Barry watches him quietly, just taking in the sight of him and feeling his heart swell.

"Sorry," Cisco says, a little half-laugh in his voice. "That was a little selfish, wasn't it? Here, let me down and I'll—" He glances down and then frowns. "Hey, there's jizz on our suit."

Barry snorts. "And whose fault is that?"

Cisco frowns. "Both of ours?" he asks tentatively, like he's not sure if Barry will buy it but thinks he has a shot.

"Yeah, no," he says. "You're totally the one who wanted to have wall sex before I'd even changed back into regular clothes."

"Okay," Cisco agrees, "fair enough but." He flattens his palm over Barry's heart. "On the other hand, you could've put me up against the wall, sped off and undressed, took a lap around the city, came back and grabbed the lube out of the bedside drawer and then caught me before I could even start sliding down the wall. So really, I think it's your fault for not using your super powers to have sex with me."

Barry blinks at him and then laughs, finally setting Cisco down on the floor just so that he can brace himself against the wall, caging Cisco in between his forearms.

"Alright," he says when he's stopped. "Fair enough. But maybe I was busy thinking about other stuff. Like you."

"Well," Cisco laughs. "I can't exactly hold that against you."

He pushes Barry back gently, crosses the room to grab a tissue, and returns to clean the offending fluids off the suit. When he's finished, he tosses it into the garbage can and leans back against the wall between Barry's arms.

"So how am I returning the favor?" he asks. He palms Barry through the suit and says, "This skin tight suit can't be very comfortable right now."

Barry shivers. "D— do you still have that prototype you made for a Vibe suit?"

"...yeah?"

"If I ran to the lab and got it, would you put it on for me?"

Cisco raises an eyebrow, but he's grinning so he must not think it's too weird.

"Yeah, Barry," he says. "For you? Anything."


	14. "Guilt/Regret"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of Day 12′s high school AU story, because I’m trash and self-indulgent.

As it turns out, Joe is thrilled to see Barry making friends. Not only is Cisco eagerly invited to stay for dinner, but he issues Cisco a standing invitation to return whenever he likes. And somehow, astonishingly, just like that, Cisco has a friend. And not just a friend, a friend who comes with a wonderful dad and an amazing sister who make Cisco feel more at home at Barry's house than he's ever felt in his own.

At first their friendship consists mostly of shared homework spread across the kitchen table, their heads bent together in study. Iris joins too, since she's in their AP English and APUSH classes, but she's apparently not interested in science so most of the time it's just the two of them, finding out that complicated equations get solved a lot faster with two heads instead of one.

From there it spreads to the living room, the three of them gathered around a console playing Mario Party until it's time to make dinner. Iris and Barry used to share the duties, but the work goes quicker with the three of them and he introduces the West-Allen family to his own favorite recipes, too.

And then there are days when it's _not_ the three of them, when homework is done and they're not in the mood for games, when he's invited into Barry's bedroom just the two of them. These are Cisco's favorite days, he thinks, because on these days it's easy to forget about the hell that is school or the stress of their homework. On these days, he sometimes pretends he and Barry are the only two people left in the world, and he's surprisingly okay with that.

Today is such a day, but on this day Barry's overly excited, tugging desperately on Cisco's hand to drag him up the stairs. He casts a glance at Iris, who shrugs, and gives him a look that Cisco takes to mean _rather you than me_. They stumble into Barry's bedroom and almost immediately, Barry is grabbing the laptop off his desk and pushing Cisco down onto the bed.

"Barry, what are you—" he starts, but Barry cuts him off by opening the screen and hitting full screen on a webpage.

"I found it," Barry says, almost trembling with excitement. "Cisco, I _found it_. It's a real thing and it has a _name_."

Cisco knows immediately what Barry's talking about. They don't talk about alone it very often, since they talk more than enough about it at the meetings at school, but it's not like he doesn't know Barry's never stopped searching. Hell, it's not like _he_ hasn't done some searching of his own. But without really _understanding_ what it is, there's only so much he can Google — just stuff Barry's said in quiet moments when they were alone, and that can only get him so far.

"That's amazing," he says honestly, and quickly reads the paragraph Barry's pointing to.

 _Demisexual_.

"Woah," he says, surprised but so happy for Barry's sake. "That's awesome, dude!"

Barry sets the laptop aside and throws his arms around Cisco in a hug. Taken aback, Cisco's hands hover awkwardly at Barry's side for a long moment before he squeezes back, holding Barry just as tightly. When Barry pulls away, he's practically bouncing with giddy. Cisco's heart twists in his chest.

"I found it last night," he says. "I wanted to tell you at school today but I was afraid someone would hear us. I have no idea how the rest of the school hasn't figured out about the club yet, but—"

"We have to protect it," Cisco says seriously. "I know. It's good you waited."

"But I _found_ it," Barry says with the air of someone who doesn't quite believe what's coming out of his own mouth. "I wanted to call you, actually, when I first read it, but I didn't want to wake you up. It was like, midnight or something by the time I found it."

"Dude," Cisco says, grinning from ear to ear. "If something this big ever happens again? Call me. Day or night. I want to be there for you."

"Yeah?" Barry asks. His eyes have gone sort of soft at the corners and Cisco thinks to himself _oh no_ as he loses himself in that stare.

"Of course," he says softly. "Seriously, Barry, this is so — important. I know how much you've wanted this. You're— you're my best friend. Of course I want to support you."

Barry beams at him, grinning a little dopily, and then says, "I think I'm ready to tell Iris."

Cisco's eyes widen. "You— you are?"

Barry bites his lip, but nods. "Maybe it's the — you know, finally having a name for it — talking, but I just feel...ready? I guess? For her to know?"

Cisco nods. "Are you going to tell your dad?"

"Not...yet," he says slowly. "I don't think he'd be upset, but I—" He stares down at his own hands. "I'm not saying he'd throw me out. He wouldn't. When I'm thinking clearly, I know that. But when I think about telling him, this — this panicky little voice pops up and says 'but maybe he might.' And — and you know he's never adopted me. I mean. I'm his son, _I_ know that. _He_ knows that. But I never...I never wanted to give up on my _dad_ , either.

“Joe _offered_ to make it official. To adopt me for real and make it legal with the courts and stuff, but I said no. I didn't want my dad to feel like I'd given up on him."

"Barry —" Cisco says softly, not really having any plan on where to go from that one word, but feeling compelled to let Barry know that he's here, that he's listening, that he cares.

"Anyway," Barry continues, "so even though he's my dad, and I _know_ he loves me and wouldn't do that...in the end, I'm just his foster," he says quietly. "I'm not eighteen yet, so if— if he _did_ throw me out, I'd have nowhere to go. I'd end up in the foster system. And I can't— I can't _do that_ , Cisco. I can't. So even though I know Joe loves me and he wouldn't do it, every time I think about telling him, some little voice in my head says ' _what if?_ ' and I panic and stop."

"Hey," Cisco says, turning more fully toward Barry and putting an arm around his shoulders. Barry relaxes into the contact and even after all these months, Cisco is still amazed at the fact that Barry trusts him, that he can have this effect on his friend. Cisco's never _had_ a friend before, so it's probably a normal, boring thing to everyone else, but to him, it's still something awe-inspiring.

"Barry, you don't have to tell him _ever_ if you don't want to. You don't have to tell Iris. You don't have to tell — well, you've already told me and the rest of the club, but you _didn't_ have to tell us, either. I haven't told anyone outside of that room. And I probably won't until at least college. We get to decide, okay? Nobody else. This is one secret we're allowed to keep."

Barry nods, and gives Cisco a grateful smile. "I know. You're right. I just...want to. I just want it to be something I don't have to hide. I don't like keeping secrets from Joe. I just feel so... _guilty_."

Cisco squeezes Barry gently, then says, "For the record, you're right, he wouldn't do that do you. But I understand why you're scared. D— do you want help?" He wishes he could take it back almost immediately. That isn't something friends do, is it? He knows sometimes people will have the person they're dating there with them when they come out, but friends? And if he _were_ there with Barry, would that mean _he_ had to come out, too? Cisco isn't even Joe's son. What if he told Joe he was bi and Joe said he wasn't allowed to come over after school anymore, like he was afraid Cisco would prey on both his son _and_ hisdaughter?

"With Iris?" Barry asks, then shakes his head. "No. It's — she'll be alright with it. But if I ever decide to tell Joe? Yeah, Cisco. Please, actually. I would — that would make it so much easier."

"Then I'll be there," Cisco promises.

The look Barry gives him is so affectionate that Cisco feels his heart clench. Between them, Barry's hand covers his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and his expression softens just that little bit more.

 _Oh no_ , Cisco thinks to himself. _Oh shit, no_. But he doesn't pull away.


	15. "Movie Night"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses. I’m sad ace-spectrum trash and have no willpower to speak of. Is anyone surprised? Continues the story of teenage nerds in love. Now featuring Red Bull, pajamas, and an unexpected kiss.

"Grab a Red Bull," Barry says. "Joe stocked up on them for us."

Cisco laughs. "That was nice of him. My parents would just yell at us to go to sleep at a decent hour."

"He's used to it by now," Barry says. "I've done this...six times, I think?"

" _Six_?" Cisco repeats, amazed. "I've never done this _once_ and you've done it _six times_?"

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Barry teases. Cisco's stomach flips over, so he turns to grab his can of Red Bull just so he can hide his face. Barry isn't supposed to make jokes like that. Cisco's worked very hard to rid his brain of anything connecting "Barry, my friend" to "sex."

"Eleven hours is not 'gentle,''" Cisco points out once he's sure his voice is steady.

"It is when you consider that some people do all the Hobbit movies at once, too. That's nearly twenty hours. You're lucky it's just Lord of the Rings tonight."

Cisco snorts. "Lucky. Right."

He hovers awkwardly, not sure where he's supposed to sit now that they're about to begin their movie night/sleepover-without-any-actual-sleep. Barry looks away from the menu screen long enough to pat the bed beside him, so Cisco tentatively sits down beside him, leaning back against the headboard and shoulder to shoulder with his best friend. His heart thunders in his chest and he takes a drink of Red Bull before realizing that's definitely not going to help his heart rate.

Barry hits play on the remote and produces a bag of chips from under his bed. Once opened, he sets it between them and Cisco realizes he's going to be very hungry twelve hours from now because no way is he going to reach for those chips and have one of those rom-com moments where their hands touch. He won't do it. He _can't_ do it because it would only be a rom-com moment for _him_. Barry doesn't feel that way, Cisco knows that better than anybody. Cisco's stomach flips because his best friend is six kinds of hot, but Barry's stomach doesn't flip at all — or, at least, not over something like this. Over falling in love, maybe, but not over their _hands touching_.

They make it through the first movie without incident and emerge from the bedroom for a bathroom break to find that Joe and Iris have already gone to bed. Cisco grabs his pajamas out of his backpack and heads for the bathroom while Barry goes to retrieve more snacks from downstairs. He's got his back to the door, pulling on his comfiest t-shirt, when it opens behind him.

He freezes, shirt still only halfway on, and finds Iris there, bleary-eyed and clearly having just woken up.

"Sorry," they both say at once. Iris mumbles something about how she should've knocked, and Cisco mutters that he should've locked the door, then he edges around her and back into the hallway to finish pulling his shirt on, allowing her the use of the bathroom since he was mostly finished anyway.

Barry's standing there by his own bedroom door, staring at Cisco oddly. "No big deal," Cisco says, nodding towards the bathroom. "Would've been if she'd come in a minute or two earlier, but we were both perfectly decent." Barry's eyes flick down to where Cisco's shirt is still rucked up, then back up to his face. Cisco shifts from one foot to the other and smooths the shirt down the rest of the way and passes Barry on his way back into the bedroom. As he passes, he hears Barry clear his throat, not like he wants Cisco's attention, more like something is stuck there.

During the credits of the second movie, Barry yawns loudly, pulls out his phone, and snaps a photo of the two of them. The flash startles Cisco into sharper awareness, and he only realizes that Barry is half slumped against him when he starts to stretch himself awake.

"What was that for?" he asks, nodding at the phone.

Barry shrugs. "Just wanted a picture of the two of us. We don't have any and I thought it'd be funny because we're both half asleep and stuff."

Cisco gets up, stretches again, and nods. "I'll put in the next disc. Send me that picture, okay?"

His phone dings to signal the arrival of the photo before he's sat back down — or really, laid back, since they've both been propped up by pillows for at least the last two hours — and he smiles when he sees it. They do look funny — both of them in pajamas and hair pillow-mussed. Cisco's eyes are only half-open with his sleepiness, but he's smiling, and Barry is all but tucked into his side. They look like a couple, actually, and the thought doesn't hurt anymore like it used to. Cisco's had time to make his peace with the idea that he likes Barry in a way Barry doesn't like him — in a way he's not sure Barry even _can_ — and now it's closer to a dull ache than a sharp throb.

What surprises him is the way his body fits against Barry's, the way he lays back down and finds himself naturally shifting towards his friend until Barry finally puts his arm up behind the pillow, leaving his chest available for any snuggles Cisco might decide to give. He wonders if Barry did it on purpose, or if it's an unconscious thought for him the way it feels for Cisco. Maybe this is just how their friendship works now.

He's not sure when he falls asleep. Somewhere around the fourth so-called "ending," probably, but the next thing he's aware of is waking up curled against Barry and finding that not only is Barry already awake, but he's watching Cisco and frowning.

"Sorry," Cisco says hastily, and starts to pull away. Barry lets him, but keeps ahold of Cisco's arm so that he doesn't leave. "How long have you been waiting for me to wake up?"

"Cisco," Barry says quietly.

"Did you manage to stay up to the end?" he asks. "Sorry I sleep-bailed."

"Cisco," Barry says again. Cisco stops and meets his eyes. Why does Barry have to have such nice eyes? It makes this whole thing that much harder.

"Yeah?"

Barry swallows. "Do you — is this — look, if I'm completely misreading this, totally tell me, but are we —"

Cisco picks at the hem of his shirt for lack of any better distraction and his heart pounds so hard he thinks he can hear it in his ears.

"I'm sorry," he says finally. "I've — I've been trying not to think about you like that because I know you don't like that kind of stuff and I _never_ want you to feel like I'm...I don't know, objectifying you or something, and I promise I'm working on it so that it doesn't happen anymore, but I guess last night was just...a little too much?"

"I don't think you're objectifying me," Barry says softly. "And I don't —" He rubs the heels of his hands over his eyes in frustration and Cisco remembers that first day, their walk home before Barry even really had the words, and he feels like a heel all over again.

"You're my best friend," he says quickly, "and I'm a thousand percent okay with it staying that way."

"No," Barry says, just as fast. "No, that's not what I mean. Just...give me a minute? Can I do the talking right now?"

"Sorry," Cisco says again, and falls silent.

"I don't...dislike that stuff," he says finally. "I just...don't like it the same _way_ you do. But I don't think you're objectifying me if you look at me and think it. And I...think I don't want it to stop."

Cisco blinks, trying to parse that out, but Barry corrects himself before Cisco can ask.

"I think I like you. Romantically."

Cisco stares at him, absolutely sure that his mouth has actually fallen open. He's probably right, because Barry gives him a wry smile before he continues.

"Sometimes it's hard for me to tell the difference," he says. "I don't think I realized it until last night. You know how for me so much of this stuff is about emotions? Like intimacy and stuff?"

Cisco licks his lips and suddenly becomes aware that he hasn't been breathing.

"Yeah."

"I know it probably doesn't feel this way to you, but last night when I realized Iris had seen you getting dressed...I know it's not a big deal. I'm not...jealous, exactly? It just made me think, 'I want him to feel comfortable enough to get dressed around me.' Is that a weird thing to think? It just made me realize that I wanted to be...intimate with you."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"You're making enough of it," Cisco promises. "You...like me?"

"Yeah," Barry breathes. "Is that okay?"

"That is _so_ okay, Barry. That is _absolutely_ okay."

Barry grins, almost shy, and kisses Cisco — just once, very quick, but full on the mouth.


	16. “Confession”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the suggestion of hook-on-fandoms, I’m doing an alternate prompt for the two days I couldn't write for. I’m replacing day 16 with “Confession” and this follows the previous installments of the demisexual!Barry/bisexual!Cisco high school AU ‘verse.

Dating Barry Allen turns out to be more or less like being friends with Barry Allen, except that now Cisco understands him a little better. Now when Barry holds his hand, he understands that it's Barry's way of feeling connected. Before, he told himself Barry was just overly affectionate. That this was just how friendship went with Barry. It's not like he had other friends to compare the experience to.

Barry kisses him sometimes, too, usually quick chaste kisses on the mouth but sometimes not, sometimes much more than that. These they save for behind the closed door of Barry's bedroom, until nervous touches turn familiar.

They're careful at school, of course, especially since Cisco's friendship with Barry brought attention to him that he never had before. He used to be more or less invisible, but anyone connected to Barry took some of the brunt of his bullies. He takes it mostly as well as can be expected; he's smart enough to not try to sass back, and he's got a good sense of when to duck a punch. It's hard to let it bother him most days; he's doing really well in school, he's starting to feel like an adopted member of the West-Allen household, and being loved by Barry is just about the best feeling in the entire world. Not to mention that since Barry explained demisexuality and the asexual spectrum to the club, two of the other members have realized they're somewhere on it. They both cried with relief during the most recent meeting and Cisco sat there, holding Barry's hand and feeling like his heart might burst.

That last part is why, the next day, when Tony Woodward shoves him into a locker and asks him why he's hanging around "that murder kid" so much lately, Cisco's first thought isn't _oh shit_ or even _ouch_ , it's _please let him not know about the club, please let this be because we're friends_. It's not like he wants to be here, a padlock digging into his shoulder while Tony's fist grips the front of his shirt, but he would do this a hundred times rather than let the rest of the club go down with him. It's too important. It has to be protected.

He doesn't bite back a sarcastic remark. He doesn't try to wriggle away. He stands perfectly still, barely daring to breathe, and waits Tony out. Thirty seconds is apparently all Tony's willing to wait for an answer, because he gives Cisco a good shake and shoves him hard into the locker again, grinding the padlock into Cisco's back. He's going to have a bruise there later, he can feel it already, and the pain of it kicks in his instinct to protect himself. His knee comes up on instinct just as the bell rings and the hall starts to flood with students being released from class. They arrive just in time to see Tony double over in pain before rearing back, his fist cocked and his eyes murderous. Cisco briefly laments the fact that he's about to die without ever telling Barry that he loves him when suddenly Tony goes staggering sideways, now holding his jaw.

Cisco looks up and finds Barry standing there, eyes wide with terror as it apparently sinks in what he's just done. He reaches out and grabs Cisco's arm, tugging him to stand behind Barry, shielded from Tony. Tony rounds on them, eyes glinting with rage so exquisite that it's like a tangible thing in the air of the hall. For one moment, everything is silent. Then Tony draws back his fist and runs at them.

A teacher appears out of nowhere and steps between Tony and Barry, holding both of them back. Cisco grips Barry's shoulder, hard, more or less scared out of his mind, and then they're all three being marched to the principal's office through the staring crowd.

Cisco and Barry are left sitting in the front office, alone save for the school secretary. She doesn't bother to look up when they're directed to the chairs before Tony and the teacher are directed into the principle's office. They sit there quietly for about five minutes before Barry reaches over and takes Cisco's hand in his. Cisco starts to take his back because they don't do this at school, they've been over that multiple times and have actually practiced not touching each other in public. It's not just for their own sake — if any of the other students knew they were dating, they might start looking into what, exactly, is the purpose of the club they sneak off to at the end of the school day. It's not just their own safety on the line.

In all, they're there for about twenty minutes before the door opens and they just barely let go of each other's hand in time for Tony to not see. He smirks at them as he passes, but leaves without saying a word.

"Mr. Allen, Mr. Ramon," the principal says. "In my office, please." His voice is grim and suddenly Cisco realizes that they're the ones who are in trouble.

They take the seats in front of the desk, staring up into the faces of the principal and the teacher, who are looming over them like vultures. Cisco wishes he could hold Barry's hand again.

"Would either of you like to explain to me why you were attacking another student?"

"I wasn't!" Barry says defensively. "He was going to hit Cisco! I just stopped him!"

"You punched him," the teacher says. "I saw you, clear as day."

"I was defending my b—" He catches himself just in time to correct to, "Friend," but Cisco sees something in the principal's face. Something like recognition.

"Mr. Woodward was responding to Mr. Ramon kneeing him in the groin," the teacher says firmly. "I saw _that_ , too. You didn't, however, Mr. Allen. You arrived _after_ that had happened."

Barry shuts his mouth and casts a quick look at Cisco. The proverbial torch has been passed.

"He— he had shoved me against the locker," Cisco explains. "He was hurting me and I just — it was self defense."

He can tell before either of them say anything that they don't really believe him. No one saw Tony shove him. They saw Cisco attack him and then Barry punch him when Tony fought back. The two of them stay there, not looking at each other as they get chewed out. Barry tries to defend them several times, which only seems to make it worse. Finally, Cisco puts a hand on Barry's arm to make him stop.

"We couldn't get ahold of your parents, Mr. Ramon," the principal says when the lecture is done. "Mr. Allen, your guardian is on his way." He pauses, then adds, "Mr. Ramon, since we can not reach your parents by phone, we're releasing you into Detective West's care. This is not usual procedure, you must understand, and is only being done because of the circumstances and because of who Mr. West is."

"Okay," Cisco says dully. He just wants to leave. He doesn't want to be in this room anymore. He wants to be at Barry's room, just the two of them. He wants to hold Barry's hand and know he's not alone.

"You're both suspended for a week."

Joe arrives ten minutes later, looking angry, but he doesn't yell. He just leads the two of them out to the car and then, in a voice that's alarmingly calm, he asks, "What happened. The truth."

Barry glances at him, indicating that he should start, so Cisco once again recounts what happened before the bell rang. Barry jumps in towards the end, explaining why he had punched Tony Woodward, and then silence falls around them. Joe doesn't say anything until they're back at the house.

"Cisco," he says, sounding tired. "I need to talk to Barry alone. Can you go upstairs?"

Cisco looks between them, but Barry gives him a quick nod so Cisco retreats up the staircase. He feels guilty about it, because he respects Joe more than just about anyone else he's ever met, but he hides just out of site on the landing so that he can listen in on the conversation. He justifies it by reminding himself that Joe didn't say he had to go to Barry's room, just that he had to go upstairs.

"Sit down, Barry," Joe says. He still sounds tired, not angry, and Cisco feels terrible for contributing to that. "Look, I have to ask. Why'd you do it?"

"Because he was going to hurt Cisco."

"And you don't think the teacher would've stopped him? He was right there."

"Not in time," Barry insists. "I couldn't — I couldn't just let him get hurt."

"You know I've always encouraged you to defend yourself," Joe says. "And if that's what had happened, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But you jumped into somebody else's fight, Bar. You shouldn't have done that."

"I had to," Barry says, his voice rising. He's not yelling, and he doesn't sound angry, more like he's desperate for Joe to believe him. "I couldn't just stand there and watch Cisco get hurt."

"I know he's your friend, Barry, but—"

And then Barry — Barry with his big heart and his unflinching morals and his feelings on his sleeve — says, "He's my boyfriend," and Cisco's breath catches in his throat.


	17. “Unrequited”

Cisco doesn't actually say it. He's careful about that — "I love...my life," is not "I love...you," is it — but he can tell Barry understands. Barry has this thing he does, this way he looks at Cisco that's honestly part of what made him fall for Barry in the first place. His eyes go all soft and he covers his mouth and he looks at Cisco with raw affection — but it's not, "I love you." It's closer to, "You're my good friend and I hate that I have to hurt you by saying this." That doesn't stop him from actually doing it, though.

It's a nice speech, Cisco will give him that. He lets Cisco down easy and gives him just enough hope so that he doesn't quite break into a million pieces right there in the hallway — "the universe wants us to be bros," — but no power on earth could completely stop him from shattering.

In the end, Cisco is alone and maybe about to lose Barry forever, even as a friend. He feels stupid — if Barry wouldn't stay for Joe or Iris, why would he stay for Cisco of all people? If his adoptive dad and his future wife aren't enough, what could Cisco possibly offer? He's good for one thing, and it isn't romance.

He wipes the tears out of his eyes and goes to work on the tech.


	18. “Coffee Shop AU”

"So who is he?"

Barry startles, standing up straight and looking around wildly until he spots Iris a few feet away, leaning back against the counter. Her eyebrow is raised and she nods towards the guy Barry has spent the last five minutes (not to mention the last three _weeks_ ) staring at.

"Nobody," Barry says. "Just a customer."

"Uh-huh. What's his name?"

"Cisco," Barry answers promptly, then frowns when he realizes he's played into her hands. "I only know that because we write it on the cups!" he says defensively.

"You should write your number," Iris teases (at least, he hopes she's teasing).

"He's straight," Barry sighs, and points where across the room, Cisco is on what's obviously a date with a gorgeous girl whose mocha bore the name 'Kendra.' Last week it was another girl (Lisa, plain black coffee), and the one before that a girl called Bette who ordered tea. Cisco may not be having much luck in the romance department lately (or maybe he's having too much luck and is juggling three girls, Barry has no idea because he's never worked up the nerve to ask Cisco anything other than what he'd like to order), but still: straight.

"He's on a date," Iris points out. "Just because he's seeing a woman tonight, that doesn't mean he _only_ sees women. You of all people should know that."

"Point," he concedes. "But I think it's rude to ask a guy out when he's literally currently on a date."

"Point," Iris echoes. "But he's bound to come in alone sometime. You should ask him out."

"You're one to talk. You still haven't asked out that Linda girl from your journalism class."

"That's different!" Iris hisses.

"How?"

"I don't know! She's really pretty and she smells nice!"

Barry raises an eyebrow.

"We're not talking about me," Iris says defensively. "You're deflecting."

Barry turns away from her and finds Cisco looking at him from across the room. His heart does a weird little flip, and then a full out cartwheel when Cisco actually smiles at him before turning back to his date. When he looks back, Iris is beaming with triumph.

"Shut up," he mutters, and storms off into the stockroom.

***

"Well, at least you know he's bisexual now," Iris says comfortingly.

Barry, who is slumped down on the floor, presumably to clean a lower cabinet but in reality so that he won't be tempted to watch Cisco and — ugh, even his name is awful — _Hartley_ on their date, lets out an unabashed noise of despair. It was bad enough when he thought he categorically didn't have a chance because Cisco wasn't interested in men. That was fine, having no chance at all. Now that he knows Cisco at least has the _capacity_ to be interested, it's much worse. Now he has no reason not to at least ask him out, except for the fact that obviously Cisco has a lot of dates so he must be a pretty popular guy. With so many options, why would he bother saying yes to the nerdy barista who sometimes draws the Millennium Falcon on his latte?

"You're being pathetic," she tells him mildly. "I'm giving you two more minutes and then I'm going to kick you in the shins until you get up."

"You're a bully," Barry says miserably. "You're kicking a man when he's down."

"Not _yet_ ," she says. "You've still got another…" She pauses to check her watch. "Minute and a thirty seconds."

Barry groans and rests his head on his knees. "Are they holding hands?" Barry asks. "No, wait, don't tell me. I don't think I can bear it."

"Oh, honestly, Barry," Iris sighs. "No, they're not, but you're being overly dramatic."

"I know," he admits, looking up at her. "I'm sorry."

She gives him a gentle smile and holds out her hand to pull him to his feet. "It's alright," she says. "If Linda ever starts dating someone, I'll probably be worse. "Ice cream and liquor will probably be required."

Barry laughs, until suddenly there's a loud slamming sound from across the room and every eye in the place snaps towards Cisco's table, where his date has just knocked his chair over and stormed out. Cisco isn't faring much better, having apparently squeezed his cup so hard in his anger that it broke, spilling coffee everywhere and burning his hand in the process.

Barry rushes over without thinking and carefully dabs at Cisco's hand with the towel from his apron. It's not bad enough that he'll need to go to a hospital, but it still needs treatment. "Come on," he says, helping Cisco to his feet. "We've got a first aid kit in the back."

"Thanks," Cisco says, sounding a strained.

Barry leads him through to the back room, passing Iris who assures him she's on clean up, and helps Cisco ease his hand under some cold running water.

"What happened out there?" he asks. He leaves Cisco to hold his hand under the water and pulls the first aid kit down from on top of the shelf. He's on autopilot as he digs through it looking for burn cream, gauze, and medical tape.

"Asshole," Cisco says, sounding bitter. "Him, I mean. His name's Hartley, we're in the physics program together. We're always fighting but it was one of those situations where, you know, either we were an opposites attract sort of thing, or not. Turns out we just hate each other."

"Ah," Barry says. He sets the supplies out and returns the kit to the shelf, grabbing a towel before he shuts the water off and sets about drying Cisco's hand off. Cisco winces. "Sorry," Barry says. "I'm trying to be gentle."

"It's alright. I'm fine. Bet you've never seen a date end like that before," he jokes.

"Nah. But given how often you bring dates here, it was bound to happen eventually," Barry jokes.

"You noticed?" Cisco sounds surprised.

"I...well, I mean. Yeah?"

Cisco smiles at him as Barry starts to coat Cisco's wound with the ointment.

"So where do you take _your_ dates?" Cisco asks. Barry swallows hard.

"Dinner, mostly," Barry says after a moment. "But I haven't been on too many dates recently."

"Really? That's weird."

"What? Why's that weird?"

"Because you're cute," Cisco says, like it's obvious. Barry can't tell if he's flirting or if that's just a friendly compliment but his heart is pounding either way.

He wraps the gauze around Cisco's hand and sets to taping it into place. He can feel Cisco's eyes on him as he works.

When he's finished, he looks up and, despite knowing that he was there, Barry's started by how close Cisco is, how his eyes keep drifting from Barry's eyes to his mouth and then back again.

He swallows and then whispers, "Hey, do you want to—"

The door opens and Iris comes in, carrying a mop and a bucket of dirty water. She spots the two of them, freezes, and then backs out of the room, leaving the mop and bucket just inside the door. Barry can't help it, he bursts into laughter and, after a brief hesitation, so does Cisco.

When they stop, Cisco's watching him, smiling, and Barry smiles back, feeling a little helpless.

"Give me your phone," Cisco says, licking his lips. Barry hands it over and Cisco taps at it for a few moments before holding it out and taking a selfie. When he hands it back, Barry sees that he's programmed himself into Barry's phone as a new contact, complete with an attached photo.

"That's so you don't forget who I am," Cisco says, nodding toward the photo. "Call me. The answer's yes."

Barry's jaw falls open and Cisco grins at him before heading back out to the front of the coffeehouse, an unmistakable spring in his step.


	19. “Blind Date”

"I uh, don't usually do this," Barry says through panted breath.

"Yeah?" The man's mouth is at his neck, tongue tracing circles against his skin. Barry shivers and gets a knee between the man's thighs, groaning when he feels hardness against him.

"Yeah," gasps Barry. "Fuck, where's your bedroom?"

"Too far away." He tugs Barry's shirt off right there in the hallway and works his way down to his knees, leaving a wet trail down Barry's stomach as he goes. When Barry looks down, the man is watching him as he undoes Barry's jeans, outright grinning when he tugs both the jeans and Barry's underwear down in one go. Barry nearly collapses against the wall when the man licks his lips — plush, pink, _wet_.

"Fuck," he gasps, and the man smiles up at him and answers, "Not yet."

***

"I don't know why I let you talk me into this," Barry huffs. "I can get a date on my own just fine."

"You can get a hookup," Iris replies, and tugs his collar down just enough to expose the purpling hickey on Barry's shoulder. He blushes and knocks her hand away, keeping his eyes down so that he doesn't meet Joe's gaze.

"You're doing this as a favor to me," Joe says. "Our new consultant is driving me up a wall. He needs to get out more."

"You're basically sending your son to help your coworker...release some tension."

"You don't have to have sex with him!" Joe says defensively. "Just give him something to think about other than work. He calls me day and night to talk about cases. The dedication is admirable but it's like he has no life outside of work. I thought maybe you could...you know, give it to him."

Barry blushes again, which makes Iris burst out laughing and Joe cover his face in embarrassment when he realizes what he's just said.

"I could've phrased that better," Joe says finally. "Honestly, Barry, you two have a lot in common. When I met him, by exact thought was, 'Oh no, there's two of them.' I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't actually think you'd like each other."

"But you wouldn't ask me to do it unless he was seriously annoying you," Barry points out.

"No, but mostly because I try not to meddle in your love lives." At this, Iris lets out a disbelieving snort. "I said _try_ ," Joe says huffily. "I didn't say I was always successful at it."

Iris adjusts Barry's jacket one final time, then pronounces him ready for the blind date. When he leaves the house, it's to Joe's, "Thank you!" and her shout to, "Make good choices!"

***

"Well, this is awkward."

"Is it?"

"I think you're usually supposed to have sex _after_ your first date."

Cisco raises an eyebrow. "And who said we couldn't?"

Barry chokes out a laugh and puts his head in his hands. "Sorry. This is— I told you, I don't usually do that. I'm not really sure what the protocol is here."

Cisco reaches across the table and tugs at Barry's hands until he finally looks up. His brain helpfully supplies an image of those hands touching him last night, crooking inside him, his body writhing while he gasped for air. His face heats and when he meets Cisco's eyes, he can see it reflected there: Cisco's thinking about last night, too.

"Think of it this way," Cisco says, licking his lips. "Usually on a date, you're nervous because you don't know if you're going to get laid that night, and if you are, you don't know how it'll turn out...at least we don't have to worry about that. We already know. Yes, and amazing."

"That's...true," Barry says after a moment's thought. "You know, my dad thinks you have no love life?"

Cisco snorts. "Is that why he set us up?"

"He could've just waited. I left my number on your nightstand when I left this morning."

"I saw that," Cisco says, and holds out his phone to show Barry that he programmed it in, naming the contact ' _Really Bendy (Adorably Shy)_ ' since they never got around to names the night before.

Barry can't stop the laugh that bursts out of him, hands flying up to his mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. Cisco just grins at him, shameless, and puts the phone away.

"This is the weirdest blind date I've ever been on," he confesses.

"Your dad send you out to have sex with his co-workers very often?"

"No, this is the first time. At least he has a good sense of my type."

"Oh yeah? And what exactly is your type?"

"Funny. ("Mmm.") Hot. ("Yeah?") A little short. ("Hey!") Really good at fucking me." He says this last bit in an undertone, face flushed red, but at least he manages to say it. He's rewarded by a darkening of Cisco's gaze, by a shift in his seat. Barry smiles to himself faintly and shifts in his own chair.

"You should probably text Joe," Cisco says finally. "Tell him you'll be home _very_ late."

"Yeah," Barry agrees. "I think I will be."


	20. “Body Swap”

In retrospect, it would be fair to say that Cisco was not actually ready for field work. Ever since he'd developed offensive abilities, Barry had been eager to have a consistent fighting partner. He loved working with Oliver, he said, and Oliver was just a good friend. How great would it be to actually fight alongside his boyfriend?

It was this that compelled Cisco to give it a shot. He of all people hated seeing how beat up Barry got, even in successful fights. Sure, Barry could heal through most of it, but he still felt the pain of the injuries. If Cisco could lessen that pain by donning some spandex and shooting sonic waves at bad guys, then he'd do it.

Barry had years of training from Joe on how to fight, though, even before he gained super speed. Cisco's got some skill at evading thanks to a lifetime of dealing with bullies, and the CCPD had required him to take a basic self defense course in order to earn his badge, but he's still no match for the average metahuman, even on a good day.

This is how he ends up knocked off his feet, groaning when his back hits the asphalt. He can hear the fight continue around him, but all he can focus on is the pain. How does Barry do this? Even healing at super speed, the air has been knocked out of Cisco's lungs.

He throws up a hand weakly and shoots a blast at the meta, who currently has Barry by the collar, lifted into the air. When the wave makes contact, she drops him, and Barry rushes over, kneeling to check on him. He moves to lift Cisco, probably to run him away from the fight to safety, but over his shoulder Cisco sees the meta get to her feet and raise her hand.

Cisco knows shooting stuff out of your hand. That's kind of his jam, now that he's a superhero and all. He's never seen anything like what comes out of her, though. It's not so much a wave, though, as a beam, dull yellow and headed straight for Barry. Cisco tries to pull him out of the way but all he manages is Barry falling down on top of him with an oof as the air gets knocked out of his chest. The meta adjusts her aim and Cisco doesn't have time to do anything before the beam hits Barry right in the back. Cisco doesn't know how he knows, because he can't see it, but he suddenly feels a tug somewhere near his own navel, and he knows: the beam has gone through Barry and into him now, too.

The world goes dark and when he opens his eyes again, he's staring down into his own face.

***

"You switched bodies," Caitlin says, sounding faintly horrified.

"That's impossible," Iris insists. "How would that even—"

"I think we've learned that nothing is impossible," Harry interrupts. "Absurd, yes, impossible no."

"So how do we fix them back?" Joe asks. He keeps looking at Cisco and then jerking his eyes over towards Barry. Or is it the other way around? Cisco can't tell.

"Do we even need to?" Harry asks. "As long as one of them can run and the other can vibe, does it matter?"

"Yes!" Barry snaps. He brushes his hair out of his face and Cisco frowns at the absurdity of it all.

"If nothing else," Cisco says, "it'll be weird to kiss myself."

"Oh God," Barry says. "I hadn't even thought of that. And worse—"

"Alright, we get it, you two are sleeping together," Harry cuts in. "It's uncomfortable for all of us. But is switching you back really a priority when we have Zoom to deal with? You both can still fight, so why waste time on it? We can put you back later."

"Well," Cisco says carefully, "with us switched, I'm the speedster." He gestures to Barry's body, still clad in the red suit. "Barry? He's got this heart a mile wide, can't bear the thought of not helping somebody who needs it. Me? I'm only like that with people I care about. Guess what, Harry? You don't make the list. So can either work on putting us back in the right bodies or you can find yourself a new speedster. Call Jay up, I'm sure he'll let you pump him full of your serum so he can be your hero. Oh, wait, that's right. He hates you, too."

Harry's jaw is working. For a moment, Cisco thinks he might've gone too far. Then Harry turns on his heel and storms out of the room without another word.

"That was harsh," Barry says quietly beside him.

"Just giving him a taste of his own pragmatic medicine."

"You should probably go," Caitlin says after a moment. "I'll try to calm him down but we're not getting anywhere tonight. Get some sleep. If nothing else, we're going to have to train you two tomorrow on how to use each other's powers. You may be inhabiting the body, but you don't have the muscle memory."

"You two going to be okay tonight?" Joe asks. "Barry's room is still set up at our place. You can sleep there tonight."

Barry shakes his head. "Thanks, but I think I just want to...not be around other people right now." He looks at Cisco and frowns. "Well, nobody except myself. Damn, this is weird."

"Can we get a ride, though?" Cisco asks. "I'm not sure I should be running on the street when I haven't had any practice."

"Of course."

***

"Usually when I'm this upset I'd want you to hold me," Barry says that night in bed.

"Yeah," Cisco sighs. They're not even touching, as far apart on their bed as they can be. He thinks longingly of goodnight kisses and being the big spoon.

"This is just so—" Barry starts. He sighs, then finally finishes, "Stupid. I mean, if it had to happen, I'm glad it's you, not someone else. At least I _like_ your body."

Cisco snorts. "Thank you? I guess?"

"Do you not like my body?" Barry teases.

"No, I do. Just, you know, when I said, 'I want to be inside you,' I didn't mean quite this much of me."

Barry bursts into hysterical laughter, finally rolling over to look at Cisco face-to-face. Hesitantly, he reaches out and cups Cisco's cheek.

"This feels really narcissistic," he says quietly, "but I kind of want to kiss you. No one else could make me laugh like that about this."

Cisco carefully leans over and presses their lips together, just once.

When he pulls back, Barry's looking at him with a surprised look on his face. Cisco can tell that it's a surprised look because _it's his own face_.

"Woah," Barry says quietly. "It...is it weird that it kind of feels the same? I mean...obviously, it doesn't, but...it still feels the way it always does. Kissing you."

"You, too."

"Can we just — " Barry shifts, tucking himself up against Cisco. "Is this okay?" he asks. "I mean, it's weird to be...cuddling with myself."

Cisco snorts. "If it helps, I've always thought it felt good to cuddle this body so it should at least feel nice."

"You too. The other way around I mean. This is so _weird_."

Cisco presses a kiss to Barry's — his own — forehead. "Maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and be back in our own bodies."

Barry yawns sleepily. "Yeah, maybe."

***

They do not, in fact wake up in their own bodies. They call Joe first, who promises to cover for them at the precinct, and then Caitlin, who informs them that she did at least convince Harry to work on it and that when she'd finally left him at four that morning he was making progress. She asks them to give her the morning to get some sleep, and then meet her at S.T.A.R. Labs in the afternoon to start training each other.

"I guess I should take a shower," Cisco says when they're sure they have nothing to do but sit around and wait.

"I—" Barry starts. "That's...kind of strange, isn't it? I mean, it's my body."

"Oh," Cisco says hesitantly. "Is that not — I mean. If you don't want me touching it, I won't do it any more than I have to."

"No?" Barry says, like it's a question. "I mean. It...needs a shower, those are important. It's just...weird? The idea of you being...alone with my body?"

"Do you want to shower with me?" Cisco asks. "I know we don't usually do that, but this is...different."

"Yeah," Barry says, and then more firmly, "Yeah. That's a good idea."

When they step under the shower spray, Cisco can't help but lean against the wall and take in the entirety of his own naked body. He's never seen it from this angle before, never been able to really see himself through someone else's eyes. Barry presses himself against the opposite wall and does the same, eyeing him warily.

"Do you—" Cisco starts. "Do you want to wash each other? Like...you wash this body and I do that one? Or just wash ourselves? I don't want to do anything with this body that you're not okay with."

Barry sighs. "I don't know why it bothers me so much. You've touched every inch of me before. I _like_ that you have. It's really...intense to know that you've known that body as well as I do for a long time now. So I don't know _why_ it upsets me this much."

"Hey," Cisco says, pulling Barry into a hug under the spray. "Barry, you don't have to explain it. There's no ‘normal’ reaction to this."

Barry stays in his arms for a while, then leans back and tries to kiss Cisco. Tries, because he's not used to being the shorter one and misses by several inches. Cisco laughs and leans down, letting Barry capture his lips in a kiss. Barry stays there, kissing him hard under the spray, until the water starts to cool down.

***

"Cisco?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking...it's been more than a week and we still aren't back to ourselves yet. And we haven't gone this long without _being intimate_ since we started dating."

Cisco raises an eyebrow. "That's true…"

"And I was thinking...I mean. Who knows better how to make that body feel good than I do? I spent my teenage years perfecting that skill, really."

"Uh-huh?"

"And the same could probably be said for you and this one."

"Barry, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying it's basically masturbation if we just use our hands, right?"

"Oh my god."

***

Harry lowers the gun, its green light dissipating as Cisco wobbles on his feet. When the world stops spinning, he can feel the difference, feel the familiar square of his shoulders, the brush of his hair against his ears. He turns and sees Barry — really _Barry_ — for the first time in three weeks, and throws himself into Barry's arms. Barry lifts him off his feet, spinning him around in a dizzy circle before setting him back down and planting a happy, chaste kiss to his forehead. Just for the hell of it, Cisco aims a tiny wave of sound at Harry, grinning when he glares at Cisco in annoyance.

"Thank you," Barry says. "This is...incredible."

"Thank me by training harder," Harry says, and stomps off.

"Later," Barry calls after his retreating back. Then, to Cisco, he says quietly, "I just want to stare at you for awhile. The... _proper_ you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." Cisco beams at him. "That sounds perfect."


	21. “Social Media AU”

YouTube video title: Minecraft Co-Op with VibraciousGaming #1 - MineCon Hype!

Published by: FlashSpeedRunnerz on 6/9/2015

Description: VibraciousGaming joins me for some Minecraft custom map fun! Let me know if you want to see us collab more in the future!

Comment posted by: SpeedFan41

minecraft sux go back to speed running mario

(+326, -75)

Comment posted by: GreggyBlu

anyone else notice the way vibe was flirting with flash?

(+149, -33)

Comment posted by: PurpleMooshroom24

omg i ship it

(+187, -5)

***

[Skype chat transcript, 6/10/2015, 11:35 pm]

Vibracious said: what does 'i ship it' mean?

SpeedFlasher said: where'd you see that?

Vibracious said: comments of the first part of our co-op

SpeedFlasher said: dude

SpeedFlasher said: you never read the youtube comments

SpeedFlasher said: do you hate urself or something?

Vibracious said: no i just wanted to see if they liked it. my channel is smaller than yours

SpeedFlasher said: look @ the likes not the comments, the comments are a cess pool

Vibracious said: okay fine so what does it mean

SpeedFlasher said: google it

SpeedFlasher said: it'll be funnier that way

***

[Skype chat transcript, 6/11/2015, 12:03 am]

Vibracious said: well i wasn't expecting that

Vibracious said: the pictures are flattering tho

Vibracious said: they don't look anything like me but it's nice to know they imagine i'm attractive

SpeedFlasher said: they would know for sure if you'd just do facecam

Vibracious said: not all of us are *actually* attractive dude

SpeedFlasher said: i'm sure ur fine

Vibracious said: well you'll find out in two weeks

SpeedFlasher said: haha yea wait 'til they find out we're rooming together

SpeedFlasher said: those 'flattering' pictures are about to get a lot more graphic

Vibracious said: im alrite w/ that

Vibracious said: ;)

***

Instagram Photo, posted by SpeedRunningBearz, 6/26/2015

  


 

Me and @Vibracious hitting the bar after a long day at the con! We're co-hosting a panel tomorrow in 6A, come hang out! #nofilter #photoref #canubelievehewontdofacecam #minecon

***

Text from Cisco RaMOAN: u know ur giving them ammo

Text from Barry ALLMINE: who said i had a problem with that?

***

Tumblr post by user VibraciousSpeedLover:

omg did you guys see that photo? they're hanging out! they're getting drunk together! ajfsdlfasdf I CAN NOT EVEN

Tumblr user SpeedyVibrations reblogged and added:

wait did u not hear? they're ROOMING TOGETHER it's on their twitters speedrunnerz posted a selfie yesterday and you could see vibracious on the other bed in the background!!!!!

Tumblr user VibraciousSpeedLover reblogged and added:

GOODBYE FRIENDS I AM GONE, TUMBLING FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE THEY'RE TOTALLY DATING AND ARE JUST BEING GENTLEMEN AND NOT MAKING THE OTHER FEEL PRESSURED TO SHARE A BED BECAUSE IT'S NEW

Tags: #CANON, #omg what if they come back to the room all tired from a day at the con and just sort of collapse into one bed half laying on each other, #too tired to move so they just fall asleep like that all cuddled up and happy, #what if what if omg LEAVE ME HERE TO DIEEEEEE

***

Text from BarryALLMINE: hey where r u?

Text from BarryALLMINE: cisco?

Text from BarryALLMINE: r u ok?

Text from BarryALLMINE: i woke up and u were gone…

Text from BarryALLMINE: cisco plz answer me

Text from BarryALLMINE: is this about last night? i'm sorry i kissed you, i just thought…

Text from BarryALLMINE: never mind i'm sorry ok?

Text from BarryALLMINE: ok seriously just text me and tell me ur okay at least it's been three hours

Text from Cisco RaMOAN: did u forget i was on a panel this morning

Text from BarryALLMINE: ...oh

Text from Cisco RaMOAN: dont apologize for that kiss

Text from Cisco RaMOAN: just promise 2 do it again

Text from BarryALLMINE: come back to the hotel room plz?

Text from Cisco RaMOAN: already in the elevator

***

YouTube video title: Minecraft Co-Op with VibraciousGaming #68 - Moving Day!

Published by: FlashSpeedRunnerz on 8/24/2016

Description: Cisco and I finish up the map, and the big move! Stick around to the end for the first look at our apartment! (I even got him on facecam!)

***

Tumblr post by user VibraciousSpeedLover:

guys did u see how happy they look

SOMEONE WRITE ME HOUSEWARMING SMUT THAT PLACE LOOKS PRETTY BIG AND THEY HAVE TO CHRISTEN ALL OF IT


	22. "Tickle Fight"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the other day I missed and needed to make up. st4rlabsforever gave me the alternate prompt "tickle fight".

"Come on, I can handle it."

Cisco gives Barry a disbelieving look. "Have you forgotten how we discovered that I could do this? A sound wave shot out of my hand and _disconnected you from the Speed Force_."

"Yeah," Barry says, like it's not a big deal. "Only for a few seconds. And I wasn't prepared for it. I'm ready this time."

"What if I hit you with it and this time it doesn't go away?"

Barry grins. "Then _you_ can be the Savior of Central City."

"That's not funny, Barry. Do you know what that would do to me?"

"Hey," Barry says, more serious now. He comes closer, reaching out to put a hand on Cisco's shoulder for comfort. "We figured out how to give it back to Jay, didn't we? If your shock wave disconnects me, we'll just...do that again."

"You're being very cavalier for someone who might be about to lose his superpowers."

Barry looks away. "It's just...I'm excited, Cisco. Think about how many more people we could help if there were two of us. It'll be like teaming up with Ollie, only it'll be all the time, and with one of my best friends."

Cisco sighs. "I'm just not sure—"

It happens on accident. He gestures with his hand and, maybe because he was concentrating so hard on what he and Barry were about to do, a tiny sound wave leaves his fingertips and travels the few inches between them, and suddenly Barry doubles over, laughing.

"Woah," Cisco says. "Hey, hey, what's—"

Barry looks up, grinning, and his hand starts to vibrate. For one brief second Cisco starts to panic, especially when Barry reaches for his chest, but then his hand diverts, brushing against his side, and Cisco suddenly understands.

_Tickle fight._

They chase each other around the room, neither of them truly having the advantage; on one hand, Cisco can send his vibrations from a distance away but Barry needs the contact but on the other, Barry's got the speed to catch up to him.

He's glad no one else is monitoring their attempted training session, because he can only imagine how they look right now. They're running around, laughing and shouting, acting roughly about a third of their actual ages. Cisco hasn't had this much fun in ages.

Eventually Barry must tire of holding back his speed, because suddenly he collides with Cisco and they both go sprawling. Each of them gets a hand on the other, using their vibrations against the other's skin, but soon it devolves until their powers are forgotten; just the two of them, rolling around on the floor, tickling each other the old fashioned way.

They come to a stop with Barry on top of him, both of them panting hard and still hiccuping out breathless laughter. Barry's got his hands pinned above his head, which leaves both of them defenseless, but also without a hand to do any more tickling. They stay like that, staring at each other for a long moment, before Barry dips his head down and presses his mouth to Cisco's.

His grip on Cisco's hands releases, his own hands seeming to prefer settling in Cisco's hair, Barry's thumbs on his cheekbones. It's slow and tentative, the two of them feeling each other out, and then Barry leans back, embarrassed, and gets to his feet.

"Well," he says finally. "I don't think we actually got much accomplished, but at least now we know you can do it at will."

"Yeah," Cisco says, nodding too vigorously. "And we had fun."

"Yeah," Barry says slowly. "Yeah, we did."

Cisco stands, brushing the dust off himself more to have something to do than anything else. When he finally looks up, Barry's face is back to its normal cheer.

"Come on," he says. "Let's go get a Flash at Jitters. Pretty soon you're going to have your own drink there so I have to hold this over you while I still can."

Cisco tilts his head to the side, trying to decide if Barry's pretending the kiss didn't happen and just being friendly or if he's asking Cisco on a coffee date, but either way, Cisco won't say no to some java.

"Alright," he says. "But you're paying."

Barry hesitates for only a second before he answers, "Sure," and that settles that.


	23. “Disney Land/World”

"I'm sorry," Barry says miserably. "I ruined our vacation."

Cisco winces as his wrists are set free, rubbing them gently to ease the pain of being tied for six hours. Barry sets about untying his left leg so Cisco uses his newly free hands to work on the right.

"It's okay," he says. "It's not your fault, anyway." He nods towards the unconscious metahuman a few feet away. " _He's_ the one who kidnapped me, not you."

Barry sighs. "I know, but this weekend was supposed to be special. It's the very last Star Wars Weekend at Disney!"

"Yeah, but they're giving it its own section of the park. That'll probably be more impressive, anyway."

"I just wanted to give you a nice time for our anniversary."

"Hey," Cisco says. He reaches out and turns Barry's face towards his. "Barry, this isn't your fault. Some jerk kidnapped me. Couldn't be helped."

Barry nods mutely, but leans into Cisco's touch.

"Besides, now you get to make it up to me," Cisco says brightly. That gets a small laugh out of Barry, which is more than he expected.

"Are you _sure_ you're not mad?" Barry asks. "I...kinda had a thing planned but if you're in a bad mood then I'll just...some other time, I guess."

"I'm _fine_ , babe," Cisco insists. "I mean, my wrists hurt and I need to pee like you wouldn't believe because that asshole didn't believe in bathroom breaks during hostage situations, but that's nothing time and a bathroom won't fix. It's been...what, four years since you woke up from the coma? Getting kidnapped is just part and parcel of the job, dude. I'm pretty much used to it at this point."

Barry makes a face like a grimace, mutters something that sounds like, 'you shouldn't have to be,' then stands and helps Cisco to his feet.

"We should go," Barry says. "The cops will be here any minute and I don't want our identities compromised."

Cisco wraps his arms around Barry in a familiar gesture, settling in as Barry gets a good grip on him and starts to run. He closes his eyes, listening to the rush of the wind, until finally Barry comes to a stop in their hotel room.

"Best taxi service anywhere," Cisco teases, and lets go of him to visit the restroom.

When he returns, Barry's sitting on their bed, cross-legged, looking very nervous. Cisco frowns and joins him, taking Barry's hands in his.

"Hey. What's wrong? I promise I'm not upset about missing Disney today."

Barry takes a deep breath and gives Cisco's hands a quick squeeze before he answers.

"I had this whole thing planned," he says, "It was going to involve Jedi Mickey and an ewok and I thought you'd be in such a good mood that you'd say yes. It's the happiest place on earth, right?"

"Say yes to what?"

"We've been dating for a year now," Barry continues. "And let's be honest, we were in love with each other for...well, a _while_ before that. So I thought it might be time to ask if you wanted to move in with me." He bites his lip, then begins to babble quickly. "Not at Joe's, obviously. I mean, he'd be fine with it, you're there half the time anyway, but I would rather have a place that was just ours. I'd say we could move into your place but that's kind of rude of _me_ to invite myself to move into _your_ apartment, and also your place is kind of small so I think we'd need something bigger so we didn't annoy each other. But we can afford a bigger place together, and— I know we spend the night at each other's places a lot, but sometimes we don't and I just...don't like going to sleep without you anymore."

Barry looks at him with wide, earnest eyes. His hands have gone nervously sweaty in Cisco's and he's a little out of breath from not pausing for air very often during his ramble. Cisco can not believe Barry thought he'd have to get Cisco in a good mood in order to ask this of him.

"Barry," he says. His voice comes out shaky and he stops to clear his throat before he tries to speak again. "Barry, yes. Of course yes."

"Yeah?"

Barry looks like he's torn between bursting into happy laughter and crying. Cisco tugs him forward by the hands he's still holding, wrapping his arms around him and feeling Barry's grin against his neck.


	24. “Crossover”

"Are you sure we ought to be doing this?"

"No, but how else were we supposed to spend Christmas together? It's not like we can just hang out in the common room."

Dating someone in another House sucks. It's easy if you got Sorted into the same one, you can just spend time together in the common room. If you're dating someone of the same gender, you can even be together in your dormitory. If you're a Ravenclaw dating a Hufflepuff, however, you're seriously limited in how much time you have together — any shared classes, which are rare, sitting together in the Great Hall if and _only_ if their Housemates are feeling obliging, and time on the grounds during breaks. Maybe the evenings in the library if you can keep quiet enough to not get in trouble. Even with most of the student body and half the staff gone for Christmas break, it's still a pain to find time alone together.

"You're smart enough to be in Ravenclaw," Cisco hisses as they tiptoe along the corridor. "Why do you have to be in Hufflepuff?"

Barry laughs quietly. "You're loyal enough to be in Hufflepuff," he counters. "Why do you have to be in Ravenclaw?"

"Point," Cisco sighs. "It's somewhere along here, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Barry reaches out and puts one hand on the wall and with the other, takes Cisco's hand in his. "Think hard about what we need."

It takes nearly a minute for it to happen, but finally the door appears and together, they slip inside the Room of Requirement.

The room is cozy, a merry fireplace crackling away on one wall while a gorgeous Christmas tree stands in one corner. The couch is oversized and squashy, wonderfully comfortable when they sit, and the table beside it is laden with sweets and bottles of butterbeer. It's the perfect place to spend Christmas together.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay at Hogwarts with me this Christmas," Cisco says. They've curled up together on the couch, Barry spooned up behind him and his breath warm on Cisco's neck. It's not sexual; it might be, later, if the mood strikes them, but not right now. It's rare enough for them to get to spend any time together because of their House differences. Getting to be alone together somewhere intimate is even rarer.

"Joe and Iris understood," Barry assures him. "They know how important you are to me."

Cisco smiles and threads his fingers through Barry's where they rest on his belly. "Have you told them that we're moving in together after graduation?"

"Yeah." He sighs, a contented sort of noise as he snuggles even closer, burying his face in Cisco's hair. "Six months feels like forever," he says. "Too long to wait to be able to see you whenever I want. But it feels too soon, too. I don't want to leave Hogwarts and, I mean, I'm a mess, I'm not ready to be an adult."

Cisco laughs. He's glad they're not face-to-face right now. Sincerity is hard for him in a way it isn't for Barry. Not looking at him directly allows Cisco to be a little more honest.

"Sometimes, I think about how happy I'll be when we live together, and I think, 'Living with my boyfriend, that's a pretty adult thing to do.'" Barry makes a soft 'mhm' noise of agreement. "Then I think, 'shit, adults have to have jobs' and the idea of that kind of terrifies me."

"With test results like you have?" Barry says, sounding surprised. "Dude, you'll have more job offers than you know what to do with."

"I know," Cisco admits, which is a little conceited of him, but there's no point in denying that he's good at school. "I just don't really know what _kind_ of job I want yet. It was easy before I found out I was a wizard. I wanted to be an engineer. Now it feels like...there's too many options. Wizarding jobs, muggle jobs, and what if I pick one that doesn't make me happy? Now when I try to think about what makes me happy — and I'm not saying this to be sappy so don't do that thing you do with your face, you know I can't resist those eyes — all I can come up with is you."

He can feel Barry's body stiffen behind him and he _knows_ Barry's making that face anyway. He resolutely stares straight ahead until Barry snuggles up behind him again and Cisco can feel him settle.

"Intentionally sappy or not, I still love you for saying that," he says quietly.

"I love you, too. So much that I have a hard time thinking about anything else."

He can feel the curve of Barry's smile against the back of his neck. "What if I help you go over your options? I could even ask a teacher to help us with ideas. Professor Sprout is really nice. She'd totally help."

"That would be nice," Cisco admits. "Thanks."

They stay like that for a while, Barry's fingers tracing lazy patterns on Cisco's stomach, until finally Cisco asks, "Do you want to do presents now?"

"Nah," Barry says sleepily. "You're a way better present. Set an alarm spell to wake us up in time to sneak back to our common rooms, will you?"

Cisco laughs, but he's enjoying this way too much to disagree. "Yeah," he says, and pulls his wand out of his pocket. "Alright, sleepy head."

Barry's hand squeezes his and he doesn't let go.


	25. “Mistletoe”

"Cisco, wake up."

"Five more minutes."

"It's Christmas!" Barry protests. "Come on, wake up so we can open presents."

"Unless there's a metahuman about to destroy the city, your present to me can be sleep. Return whatever else you got."

"Come on, baby," Barry cajoles. "Wake up."

Cisco cracks one eye open and attempts a glare.

"Fine," Barry sighs. "You can go back to sleep. But now we won't have time to do our presents before we go to Joe's. We'll have to wait until tonight to open them."

"I can live with that."

Reluctantly, Barry rolls out of bed and goes to make coffee.

***

"Okay, what is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't had any egg nog and we've been here for hours. You've performed sexual favors on me for the recipe to that egg nog, so don't tell me you don't like it. And you've been quiet and distant all evening. Cisco, what's wrong? This relationship only works if we talk to each other."

"I just don't feel very well," Cisco sighs. "Can you flash me home? I think I just need to sleep it off."

Barry raises an eyebrow. He slept late this morning, he shouldn't be tired now. He must really be sick. "Of course," he says, and scoops Cisco up in a bridal carry. They're back in their apartment a few seconds later and Barry deposits Cisco directly onto the bed before kissing his forehead.

"Thanks," Cisco says. Barry makes to sit down beside him but Cisco stops him. "Hey, no, go back to the party. I'll be alright. Just because I'm sick, doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy your Christmas."

"You're my boyfriend." Barry frowns. "I want to spend the holiday with you."

"And you will. When you get back. I promise I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Cisco promises. "Go on. Tell everyone I'm sorry I had to leave."

"Well...okay," Barry says reluctantly. "If you're sure."

"I am. Go enjoy Christmas."

Reluctantly, Barry goes.

***

When Barry comes to a stop in their bedroom several hours later that night, he almost doesn't believe what he's seeing. Their ceiling is covered wall-to-wall in mistletoe, so that no matter where you stand in the room, you're always under a sprig. There are rose petals leading a path from the door to the bed. Cisco's lying back on the bed, a present in one arm and a bow atop his head.

"Cisco, what—"

"I know we said one each, but I got you two presents," Cisco says. He holds out the first to Barry, the one in the box, then says, "You can decide which one you open first. That one, or me." As an afterthought, he adds, "Sorry I lied. I needed time to set this up."

Barry waves a hand to indicate that he's not bothered by the minor lie, then asks, "You're my other present?"

"Well, more the whole...mistletoe and rose petals thing. Work with me here, you're fast so I didn't have a lot of time. You're always doing big romantic gestures and I am...so not that guy." He rubs at the back of his neck awkwardly. "This is me trying to be playful and romantic." He spreads his hands out to indicate the bedroom. "You have to admit the mistletoe thing is clever. That much of it and you're going to have to do a lot more than kiss me."

Barry snorts and sets the box aside, moving to join Cisco on the bed. He takes the bow off the top of his head, careful not to pull his hair, and then presses a kiss to his cheek.

"Cisco...thank you, but you know you don't have to do this, right? I don't need gestures to know you love me."

"But you do them for me all the time."

"Yeah, but that's...that's just how I show my affection."

"Well...this is me showing you affection."

Barry takes both of his hands, making sure Cisco is meeting his eyes before he speaks. "Do you think you don't show me affection? That I don't know you love me? Cisco, you show me how much you love me _all the time_. You just don't do it in a big burst like I do. You do it in this...constant wave with a bunch of little things that all add up. You build me stuff for my suit. You cook _huge_ meals for me and let me eat nearly all of it by myself. You never let me leave the house without a calorie bar. You help me train. You're the voice in my ear that keeps me safe during a fight. You never complain when I want to watch _Battlestar Gallactica_ even though you prefer the original series. You arranged for Black Canary to come keep an eye on Central City so that I could go see _The Force Awakens_ three times on opening day. You care enough to _try_ a big gesture for me, even though they don't come naturally to you. Trust me, baby. I know. And I love you for it."

Cisco kisses him then, hard and thrilling, and pulls Barry on top of him as he settles back against the pillows.

"Okay," he says, panting between kisses. "Forget the mistletoe and the roses. You still have to unwrap me."

Barry grins at him, and does.


	26. “Free Day”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the demisexual!Barry/bisexual!Cisco high school AU ‘verse. Picks up immediately where the last one left off.

Cisco stands, torn between getting to Barry and trying to decide if his presence will make the situation worse, until he hears Barry gasp, like it took him a second to realize what he'd said. That settles it for him, and Cisco is down the stairs and at Barry's side so fast that even Barry looks startled.

"I'm sorry," Barry babbles at him immediately. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"Hey, no, shh, it's okay," Cisco promises. "I knew you wanted to tell him."

"But I outed _you_ , too," Barry says. "You're _never_ supposed to do that, we talk about it all the time in the club. Cisco, I am _so, so_ sorry."

It's not until he says it that Cisco realizes the full implications of what's just happened, and he slowly turns to face Joe. He doesn't look angry, which is a relief. Cisco can't tell exactly _what_ he's feeling, but it's not anger and that's a start.

Slowly, Joe sinks into the chair opposite them and rubs at his temples.

"Okay," he says. "I didn't know— how long?"

"A few months," Barry says quietly.

"A few months," Joe repeats. "You two have had sleepovers since then."

Cisco's eyes go wide at the implication. "What? No! No, not like _that_. We haven't! It's not like that!"

Joe raises an eyebrow, and the skepticism is pretty clear on his face.

"We haven't," Barry insists. "It's not — I don't — I mean, I _do_ , when I'm in love — and I'm in love with Cisco — but I don't." He takes a breath to stop himself from babbling and takes Cisco's hand without needing to look away from Joe. Cisco squeezes it reassuringly. "It's not... _necessary_ for me. It's not that important."

"There are websites that explain it," Cisco adds helpfully.

Maybe it's the earnestness on their faces that does it, but Joe seems to believe them that they haven't been sneaking around having sex under his nose for months. That's something at least.

"I still don't think I can let you keep having sleepovers," he says slowly.

Cisco pales. If he can't sleepover, that means he'll have to go back to spending weekends at his own house. His life has gotten so much better since he got taken in by the West-Allen family. He doesn't want to go back to his own.

"What if I sleep on the couch?" Cisco offers. "If we haven't yet, you can probably trust us not to in the future."

Joe knows about his family. It's part of the reason he's been so welcoming in the past. Cisco can see on his face how torn he is between protecting Barry and protecting Cisco. Quietly, Cisco says, "You don't have to protect us from each other."

Joe sighs. "Alright. We'll get you one of those fold-away beds. I don't want you sleeping on the couch, it's not good for you."

"Where will you put it?"

Joe gives him a level look. "Where do you think? But I'm trusting you two to _stay in your own bed_."

They both sigh in relief and Barry's fingers tighten against Cisco's.

"Is that why Tony Woodward was bothering you? Because you're dating Barry?"

"No," Cisco answers honestly. "No one knows about that except us. And you, now," he adds. "That was just because we're friends."

Cisco swears he hears Joe mutter 'shit' under his breath. "And you had to stop him," he says to Barry. "Because it's Cisco."

"Yeah," Barry says quietly.

"Alright. I'm going to have to make some new rules for you two now that I know," he warns. "Fatherly responsibility."

"Okay," Barry says. "That's— that's fair. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"Hey," Joe says, reaching out to put a hand on Barry's knee. "Hey, no, kid. You don't have to apologize for that." He sits back and rubs at his temples again. "It's just a lot to take in at once." He checks his watch. "And I have to get back to work." He hesitates, then asks, "Cisco, I take it you're going to want to stay here?"

"Please."

"Alright. Behave yourselves. Don't do anything you wouldn't do with me in the room."

"Ew!" Barry says, laughing.

"Insurance policy," Joe says wisely. "Now if you _do_ try anything, you'll have that image in your head. See how far you get that way."

He's laughing as he leaves for work, which is more than Cisco thought to hope for thirty minutes ago.

They sit there in stunned silence for a long moment before Barry whispers, "I'm so sorry, Cisco," again.

Cisco takes Barry's face in his hands, tilting it up until they're looking in each other's eyes. "I'm not mad, baby."

"You should be," Barry sighs. "I can't believe I did that. I should've said, 'Because I love him,' or something that didn't implicate you, too."

"Barry— do you think I could've stood up there listening to you going through this alone? I was coming down those stairs whether you'd involved me or not. I love you too much to let you do this by yourself."

Barry takes Cisco's other hand, so that he's holding both of them, and squeezes. He still looks miserable.

"It didn't go so bad, did it?" Cisco asks gently. "I still get to sleep in your bedroom."

"Yeah," Barry says morosely. "But it's not the same."

"Well, you know," Cisco teases. "He has to protect our virtues and all that. Since it's so likely you'll jump me the first chance you get."

"I would," Barry mutters, and somehow, that's the second time in one day that Barry's said something that took Cisco's breath away.

"What?"

"If you consented, I mean," Barry says quickly. "I wouldn't — only if you were into it."

"I thought… but…"

"Wait, did you think I don't want—"

"But you—"

"Cisco, of course I want that!"

"You said you only... _want that_ after you're in love with someone."

"I just said I loved you ten minutes ago! Were you not listening?"

"Well, _yeah_ , but we're in high school, people say that all the time, but they don't _mean_ it."

"Did you not mean it when you said you loved me a minute ago?"

"No, of course I meant it. I just didn't think that you did."

Barry sighs. "Okay, we have _got_ to get better at communicating."

"Okay," Cisco agrees, "but can we go back to the part where apparently sex is on the table and neither of us knew it?"

Barry blushes. "I just thought you weren't ready yet and you'd bring it up when you were. I'd already told you that I felt that way when I was in love."

"I—" Cisco hesitates. "I don't know if I am, actually. But I definitely want to know that you are. That's important information for me to have."

Barry laughs. "Okay. So now you know."

"We don't have to decide anything today, do we?"

"No," Barry promises. "And it's not...I mean, I want to? But it's not super important to me. It's just...for me, it's a way to be close to you. And I have plenty of other ways to do that, so I don't mind not having that one for now."

"Good," Cisco says firmly. "Hey, if I'm going to stay here while we're suspended, I need some clothes from home. Walk with me?"

"You should just bring all your clothes here," Barry laughs. "You only stay home on school nights."

"Don't tempt me," Cisco says, and they set off for his house.


	27. "Insecurity"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing the demisexual!Barry/bisexual!Cisco high school AU ‘verse. Slightly NSFW.

"How do you know you're ready?"

Barry looks up from his math homework. He watches Cisco for a moment, trying to gauge how serious of a conversation this needs to be, then sets his textbook aside.

"Well…" Barry says slowly. "You know I'm kind of a hopeless romantic." Cisco snorts at the 'kind of' but Barry just grins sheepishly before continuing. "I guess it's different for me than most people. I mean, I know sex is supposed to be this end-all of the teenage experience, but to me it's not really that special. Well," he pauses. "No, it _is_ special, but not because sex is some great thing. It's special for the same reason that sharing a bed with you is special, or that holding your hand is special. It's just...another way of loving you. I guess...I don't know, I feel like when most people talk about being ready for it, they're thinking of their maturity level or if they're ready to be that vulnerable with another person. I haven't really been a kid since my dad went to jail for allegedly murdering my mom, and I'm _already_ vulnerable with you. I've never _not_ been. Intimacy has never been a problem of mine. So I guess I knew I was ready when I knew that I loved you and that I had these feelings for you in the first place."

Cisco pushes the books aside and moves up the bed. Barry knows what he wants without asking, and they settle down on their sides, Barry spooned up behind him with his chin resting on the top of Cisco's head. They're quiet for a long time, but Barry's fine with that. They have all weekend to finish their homework, and they've got a few hours before Joe comes home and they have to separate again. Besides, when Cisco's thinking, it's best to just wait him out.

"Do you ever feel," Cisco says, "like we've been dating for years, not months?"

"Sometimes," Barry answers. "I guess because we're always together. We have most of the same classes and you practically live here. We kind of skipped the casual dating part and went straight to the moving in together bit."

"Does that bother you?"

"No. Does it bother _you_?"

"Sometimes," Cisco admits. "Not...not in a bad way, I guess. I just feel like I should be more sure about this than I am."

"Cisco, this isn't a race. There isn't an invisible clock ticking down. If we stay together for the rest of our lives and never have sex, that's fine with me."

"I know. And I love you for that, but I _want_ to be ready. And sometimes I think I am. Then I'm not again and I can't tell if this is just nerves or— or if I'm really not there yet."

"Well, if it's nerves, we can deal with that. What are you nervous about? We could talk about it and maybe you'll feel less nervous. Is it like...the act itself?"

"No. I don't know, maybe. I've tried, you know. Thinking about us like that. I get to us taking our clothes off and then I panic."

"What, do you think I'll take one look at you and go, 'Oh, well, never mind then,' because I promise that is _not_ going to happen."

Cisco laughs, which sounds mostly forced, but Barry can hear a hint of genuine amusement in his voice. "Okay. I guess the next thing is that I don't really know what to do. I guess you don't either, but I keep imagining these horror stories where something goes wrong and we hurt each other and end up in the ER having the most awkward doctor-patient conversation ever."

"Would it help if we did research together?"

"Wouldn't that take the sexiness out of it?"

"No. I think talking about it beforehand, knowing what we're going to do to each other, is kind of exciting, actually. Anticipation is supposed to be sexy, isn't it?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that's a good point."

"What else?"

"I— I'm scared it won't be good for you. Or that we'll be there, doing it, and you won't be turned on and that's when you'll realize, ' _Oh, wait, I'm not really in love with you at all_.'"

Barry turns Cisco over onto his back so that Barry can meet his eyes. "Is that what you think?" he asks.

"Not— not most of the time. Just...you know, sometimes I worry."

Barry pets at his hair, feeling helpless because he has no idea what words to conjure out of the air in order to take this away. Finally, he leans down and kisses Cisco, trying to pour every ounce of feeling into it. Cisco makes a soft noise of surprise from beneath him but kisses back, hands immediately going to Barry's back to clutch at his shoulders.

Barry has no idea what comes over him, but he gets his knee between Cisco's legs and pulls back just long enough to see Cisco nod his head that he's alright with it. Barry rocks against him, not forceful but enough to feel good without scaring him, and feels Cisco harden against his thigh. He's hard, too, and when he leans back to check in again, Cisco's eyes are wide and he's panting breathlessly.

"I love you," Barry promises him. "And yes, I want to do this with you. Do you want me to stop?"

"No," Cisco says immediately. "No, this is — I'm good with this."

Barry kisses him again and runs his fingers through Cisco's hair, moving with Cisco as they set a rhythm together. It doesn't last very long, both of them too inexperienced and overly eager to make a production of it, but it's good. Really good, actually, and Barry doesn't stop kissing Cisco for a long time after, whispering to him over and over how good that was and how much he loves him.

When they finally settle, curled up facing each other with their legs tangled together, Cisco meets his eyes almost shyly and says, "Okay, so you changing your mind about loving me isn't going to be an issue."

"No," Barry promises. "And I don't want you to think I only did that because I had a point to prove, either. I've been wanting to for awhile."

"I know. I— I'm glad. It was...nice."

Barry grins at him, then turns serious. "Hey, if you want to talk about any of this, we can. You know that, right? If we talk to each other about this stuff, we can figure out how to fix it together."

"We're like an old married couple," Cisco sighs. It's a contented sort of sigh and Barry feels it in his chest.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. I like it. Thank you."

"For what? The talk or the orgasm?"

"Both," Cisco says, going a little pink in the cheeks.

"Anytime, baby," Barry promises, and kisses him on the forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently this is the last chapter of the demi!Barry/bi!Cisco HS AU 'verse. That does not mean I'm opposed to writing more, just it seems like people got tired of it, so this felt like a good ending.


	28. "Cold"

"F-fucking—" Cisco chatters, his teeth clicking together as he shivers. "Fucking Captain Cold!"

Beside him, Barry's shaking violently. "C-can you vibe on him? Help us find a way out of here?"

"I tried." Cisco heaves Barry up into a sitting position and pushes the cowl back off his face. "Nothing u-useful."

He reaches behind Barry and starts to tug the suit's zipper down.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Co-warming. H-he'll probably let us out. D-doesn't like to k-kill when he can help it. W-won't help if we're frozen to d-death by then, though."

Barry helps as best he can, the cold hitting him harder than it does Cisco. Together, they manage to strip down to their underwear, then cover themselves with their clothes. They curl up together and after a few minutes, Barry's shivering has stopped being quite so scary.

"Can you use your powers?" Cisco asks. "Or are you still too cold?"

"Not well enough to get us out of here," Barry sighs.

"Think you can vibrate a little? It'll make heat. That, plus the co-warming should be enough to get us up to a decent temperature."

"I'll try."

It starts small, a slight vibration of Barry's hand between their chests, but the warmer he gets, the more he's able to access his powers. Within a few minutes, he's vibrating at least a quarter of his body and Cisco finally feels like he isn't about to freeze to death.

"Please tell me you have plans to hurt him when we get out of here," Cisco says. "I'm not asking you to kill him, but maybe throw him around a bit?"

Barry snorts. "Yeah. Can't exactly take this lying down, can I?"

"That's _exactly_ what we're doing," Cisco points out. "I don't even know how he got the jump on us. I didn't even see him. Something hit me and then I was here."

"Me either," Barry admits. "How'd he even do that? It's not even really his style. He's too overdramatic for—"

The door swings open and beside him, Barry slips completely under their pile of clothes, hiding his face. Cisco is about to ask why, since Snart knows who he is, but stops when Lisa Snart walks into the room, her gun trained on them.

"All done," she says cheerfully, then slowly a smirk starts to spread across her lips. "What's this, Cisco?" she teases. "I thought what we had was special."

Cisco gets to his feet, refusing to be embarrassed, and starts tugging his clothes back on. Barry's already dressed beside him, glaring daggers at her.

"You're the one who locked us up in a freezer," Cisco huffs.

"Freezing the Flash always works so well for Lenny," Lisa says, grinning shamelessly. "Sorry I had to involve you, Cisco. I heard you've got some powers of your own now, and I couldn't risk you mounting a rescue."

"So now you're just going to let us go?"

"Sure," Lisa says with an easy shrug of her shoulders. "I've already finished my job and Lenny made me promise I wouldn't kill either of you. You can go now, unless you want to stay, Cisco. I can think of some ways to occupy your time."

Cisco flushes at the noise that comes out of him — half turned on and half repulsed — before Barry gets an arm around him and whooshes them right up into Lisa's personal space.

"If I find out you hurt anybody while we were in there, I'm coming back," Barry says ominously. "Got that?"

"My hands are clean," Lisa says. "Take care of our boy for me, will you?" She gives Cisco a long, lingering look, then waves as Barry flashes them away.

***

"When are you going to tell her you're unavailable?" Barry grumps that night in bed.

"Probably when it stops being useful for her to like me. Keeps her from hurting us, doesn't it?"

"It's not nice to lead someone on," Barry huffs. "And I don't like the way she looks at you."

"Are you— are you jealous?"

Barry looks away.

"Okay," Cisco says immediately. "Next time she shows up, I'll tell her."

Barry turns back to him, surprised. "Wait, really?"

"Yes, really. It's gone on long enough and you're right, it's not fair to either of you. She may be evil, but she's not... _bad_ , and I don't want to hurt her if I don't have to. And I _never_ want to hurt you, Barry. If it bothers you, I'll end it."

"Think she'll be mad?"

"It's not _her_ I'm worried about. Imagine how Captain Cold will take finding out that I hurt his baby sister's feelings."

Barry's eyes go wide. "Maybe — maybe we should talk to Caitlin and Iris, make sure you word this _very_ carefully."

Cisco grins at him. "Probably a good idea."


	29. "Dreams"

Cisco wakes with a gasp, sitting bolt upright in bed and frantically trying to find anything familiar to ground himself to reality. His chest heaves with his panting breath as Barry sits up beside him, tousle-haired and sleepy-eyed, groggily asking him what's wrong. Cisco doesn't answer, preferring to take in his surroundings: the empty popcorn bowl on the nightstand, the dim light of the TV where Netflix asks if they're still watching, his favorite t-shirt in a heap on the floor beside the rest of his clothes where they got thrown when he and Barry moved on to the fooling around part of their "Netflix and chill."

He takes a steadying breath and finally turns to face Barry, who's looking more awake — and more worried — than before. One of Barry's hands is resting on his arm and the other is low on his back, rubbing comforting circles. Cisco shifts away from him, feeling like he's going to throw up.

"What did you _do_?" he asks.

"What? When?"

"Never?" Cisco asks. "Or...before?" He rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands and groans in frustration. "You messed with the timeline," he accuses finally. "Barry, what did you _do_?"

"Cisco, what—"

"I only vibe in my dreams about timelines you changed that had a big effect on me. Like when Thawne killed me and you reset it. I just had dreams about things that have never happened to me. _Vibe_ dreams. What did you do, Barry? What did you change? Something worse always happens when you change the timeline, so what was so worth it?"

Barry swallows. "What— what did you see? In the dream?"

"I was— we were...you and I were on a mission together," he says slowly. "I think it had to do with Eiling, but I'm not sure. I only got bits and pieces. Then there was a gun and—"

"And he shot you," Barry finishes. "I was— I was so _stupid_ , Cisco. I don't know how he found out about you being a metahuman, but he did, and I thought I could protect you on my own."

"And he killed me?"

Barry nods, swallowing hard. "I couldn't — I couldn't save you. I'm sorry, I just...panicked. I know you're mad at me for doing it but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't really thinking. I just...ran for it. I ran and I ran until it was undone and then I called in every favor I had with Oliver, including begging Felicity to plead my case, until he agreed to come help."

"I— I remember that," Cisco says, surprised. "I remember thinking it was so weird that you called Oliver in just to deal with Eiling, when you've handled him plenty of times before, but you— you couldn't that time, could you?"

"No," Barry says quietly. "Cisco, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and I'm sorry I couldn't protect you on my own but I'm not sorry that you're alive."

"What was the price?" Cisco asks. "Something worse always happens. What was it?"

"I— you don't want to know, Cisco."

"Yeah, Barry. I really do. What was it?"

Barry stares down at his own hands and whispers, "Eiling killed a different meta the next day. Since he never got word about you, he kept looking, and he found someone else. And he killed them when they didn't go quietly."

"So someone else died," Cisco says flatly. "Someone else took my place."

"Yes."

Cisco feels like he's going to be ill.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear," Barry continues, "but I would do it again."

Surprised, Cisco finally lets himself meet Barry's eyes. "What?"

"I would do it again," Barry repeats. "If my choice is save you even if someone else has to take your place, or watch you die, I'm always going to save you. And I know you hate that about me. I'd hate it if someone did it for me, too. But I love you, and I don't care what the consequences are. You get to live."

Cisco finds himself completely unable to deal with most of what Barry said. Instead, he focuses on the part he can handle and says, "That's the first time you've told me you love me."

"Oh," Barry says softly. "Sorry. Not the best time."

"No," Cisco agrees. "But it's nice to know anyway."

"So you don't hate me?" Barry asks hopefully.

"No," Cisco sighs. "I— you're right, If I could, I would do it for you. I'm not _angry_ at you, Barry. And hey, being alive? No complaints here. Happy to be breathing. But _fuck_ , Bar, someone's dead because of me."

"No," Barry corrects. "Because of me. I'm the one who made the choice."

Cisco rubs at his temples. "I'm tired," he says. "Can we— I don't know. Pick this up in the morning?"

"Sure," Barry says. "Of course. Whatever you want."

"I love you, too, by the way" Cisco says quietly. "But we're going to lay down ground rules for you changing the timeline and the very first one is that you have to _tell me_."

"Alright," Barry agrees softly. "I can do that."

Cisco lays back down, hesitating before he moves into Barry's arms, letting himself be the little spoon. Barry kisses his bare shoulder gently, then rests his hand over Cisco's heart. If Cisco didn't know any better, he'd think Barry was reassuring himself that it was still beating.


	30. "Lifeguard AU"

"You're in my sunlight," Caitlin sighs. There's very little aggression in it; she's lying languid and lazy on her beach towel, sunglasses on and headphones hooked up to an audiobook on her phone. Cisco laughs, knowing she can't hear him, but obligingly moves out of her light. She needs it more than he does.

"Thank you," she says, still not taking out her headphones or removing her sunglasses, but that changes when he presses a drink into her hand. She makes a happy noise and sits up, removing both, and takes a sip from her glass.

"Who's the best co-worker?" Cisco asks.

"You are," she answers contentedly.

"Damn right." He grins.

"And did you talk to that hottie lifeguard on your little excursion?"

* * *

 

Cisco takes a sip of his own drink and lets his eyes wander over to said hottie. He's tall and lean, chest covered with little moles and freckles. His swim trunks, with the letters down the sides announcing him as a lifeguard, leave little to the imagination. Cisco's been imagining for three days straight, anyway.

"No," he says idly, now concentrating too much on the lifeguard to really be focused on the conversation. "One of the other lifeguards, this gorgeous blonde woman, was talking to him when I walked by. Pretty obvious there was no point."

"Oh no," Caitlin says, gasping with over-the-top horror and obviously mocking him gently. "A man talking to his coworker who happens to be attractive. They're obviously getting engaged as we speak."

"Ronnie has been a terrible influence on you," Cisco grumps.

"I'm sure that, were he not currently sleeping off a hangover, he would be offended by that."

Cisco snorts. "Whatever." He finishes off his own drink with one last gulp, then stands and pulls his shirt off over his head. "I'm going for a swim."

"You can't," she says, her playful mood changing instantly. "You're not supposed to drink and swim."

"I'll be fine." He laughs. "Relax, work on your tan some more. Go back to listening to—" He pauses to glance at her phone, which is showing her currently paused audiobook. "— _Say Please_." Eyes widening as she hurries to hide the revealing cover from his sight, he gasps, "Caitlin Snow! I am scandalized!"

"Go have your swim," she huffs, and sticks her headphones back in.

"Have fun with your lesbian porn," he mutters, knowing that she can’t hear him, then heads off towards the sea.

***

When Cisco opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is Caitlin's anxious, worried face. She slams her hand down immediately on something he can't see, then starts assessing him. He's still not sure what's going on, but he knows that when Caitlin is fussing over him like she is now, it's best to stay still and just let her get on with it. He feels a hand take his and flicks his eyes over to the other side of the bed, where Ronnie looks just as anxious but is clearly trying to suppress it. Behind him, Cisco takes in the plain beige walls and the mounted TV and finally realizes he's in a hospital.

Doctors and nurses rush in, taking his vitals and checking his responses to stimuli. He spends five minutes answering their questions ("My name is Cisco. You're holding up two fingers. It's 2015.") before he's finally declared to not be in any immediate danger. When they leave, Caitlin and Ronnie settle down beside his bed, holding hands and clearly trying to fight the urge to fuss over him more. He loves them, but sometimes he thinks they see him as their adopted twenty-six year old child.

"Do you remember anything?" Ronnie finally asks. "About— about what happened?"

"Pieces. I remember the current pulling me out and fighting to stay above water. My lungs seizing...water in my mouth...hands…" He trails off and shrugs. "Then I was here."

"You nearly died," Caitlin says quietly. "If that lifeguard, the cute one, hadn't gotten to you as quickly as he did, and if I hadn't been there to treat you until the paramedics came…" She shivers, and then puts on a falsely bright smile. "It's been two days and he's came to visit you every day."

"Thanks," Cisco says to Ronnie.

"No, the lifeguard. His name is Barry. He's nice, actually. He got his coworker, that blonde one, to cover for him so he could ride with us to the hospital."

"Oh," Cisco says, surprised. "That...that was above and beyond the call of duty."

"Yeah," she says thoughtfully. "And I asked, by the way. He's not dating that other lifeguard."

"Caitlin!" Cisco huffs.

"I didn't say why I was asking!" she says defensively. "For all he knows I was asking for me."

Cisco sighs. "You're incorrigible."

"He's cute and nice and you're my best friend! Of course I was going to dig a little once we knew you were going to be okay."

Cisco rolls his eyes. "Did they say when I can go home yet?"

"Not yet, but maybe tomorrow."

"You can still have one more day of vacation before we have to go back to work on Monday!" Ronnie says encouragingly.

"No swimming, though," Caitlin says firmly. You can stay on the beach with me and work on your tan."

"Yeah," Cisco says sarcastically, holding up one hand between them. "Because I'm definitely getting pale lately."

Ronnie snorts, but quiets when Caitlin sends him a look. "Well," she says, "there's always beach volleyball. I bet _that_ would get Barry's attention."

"What about me?"

The three of them look up to find the hottie lifeguard, apparently also known as Barry, standing in the doorway holding a three-foot tall teddy bear with a heart on its chest bearing the words "Get well soon!"

Caitlin opens her mouth, closes it again, glances at Ronnie, then gets to her feet and grabs his hand. "We were just going to get some coffee," she says. "Be right back."

Barry watches them leave, a bemused sort of expression on his face, and then turns to Cisco.

"I've only known her for two days," he says, coming to Cisco's bedside and taking up Caitlin's vacated seat. He deposits the bear into Ronnie's. "But she's really not subtle, is she?"

"I don't— what do you mean?"

The corner of Barry's mouth turns up in a smile. "She's spent the last two days trying to set us up. You weren't even _conscious_."

Cisco flushes. "I— sorry, I didn't—"

"Relax, dude," Barry says, grinning. "In case it wasn't clear from the fact that I keep showing up here every day hoping to see you awake? I'm interested."

Cisco can't stop the smile that creeps across his face. "Well," he says, putting on a mock bravado. "Obviously. It's not like anyone can resist a guy coughing up water out of his lungs."

"Obviously," Barry agrees. "Super sexy." After a moment, his smile falters, and he sounds more serious when he says, "I'm _really_ glad you're okay."

"Yeah," Cisco says. "Me, too."

"When you get out of here, can I take you to dinner?"

"I really think I ought to be taking you, since you kind of saved my life and all."

"You don't have to, but if it means you'll say yes, then sure. I'd just like to get to know you."

"Alright then," Cisco replies. "It's a date."

In the doorway, Caitlin is mouthing _Yes!_ at him and Ronnie is giving him both thumbs up. Cisco rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to Barry.


	31. "New Years Eve"

It's bitterness, actually, that leads Cisco to attending a New Year's Eve color party. He's always thought color parties were pointless, that the odds of meeting your soulmate weren't really any higher just because someone gathered together a group of people for a more casual version of speed dating, and anyway, even if you _did_ meet your soulmate at one of these things, would they really be the kind of person you'd want, anyway? They went to _color parties_.

But ever since Caitlin found Ronnie three months ago, Cisco's been growing more and more disgruntled with the entire idea. Who needs color, anyway? He's only ever seen the world in grayscale anyway; he doesn't even know what he's missing by not meeting his mate. He would've been fine if Caitlin didn't continually attempt to describe colors to him as though she'd just discovered time travel rather than something that sixty percent of the population over the age of twenty-five could already see.

He doesn't begrudge her meeting her soulmate or seeing the world in color. He's just angry that she's suddenly started making him feel as though he's missing out on something he never even thought to want before.

He gets to the party at 11:30. The kissing doesn't start until midnight, when you're supposed to pair up with the closest person and ring in the New Year. "After that," the pretty blonde at the door tells him, "you can switch partners and keep kissing frogs until you find your prince or princess, if you'd like."

* * *

 

"Has anyone ever actually gotten their soulmate on the midnight kiss?"

"Well," she says slowly, "once or twice, I think, but not for a few years. Odds, you know?"

"Yeah," he grumbles. "The odds are the problem."

He leans against the wall at first, standing on the outside watching everyone else mingle in the center. They're talking and making introductions, all of them looking excited and nervous. He doesn't know why; if they're desperate enough to come to one of these things, there's really no reason to be optimistic. Still, it's not like no one catches his eye. A gorgeous dark-haired girl who looks like she never leaves the house without a dozen knives is definitely checking him out and there's a Korean guy a few feet away who's so attractive Cisco could melt from the heat.

Deciding that if he's going to be here he might as well at least try, Cisco heads for the bar with the vague notion of bringing the guy a drink, letting it be the icebreaker for some conversation. The clock above the bar reads ten 'til midnight, so Cisco figures he's got just enough time to get the drink, make some awkward attempts at flirting, and then be the Korean guy's midnight kiss.

There's a guy in line in front of him when he gets there, waiting while the bartender mixes up a rum and Coke. Cisco sighs, a little annoyed since his time is literally ticking away, and is relieved when the bartender passes the drink into the man's hands.

He's tall, handsome, and lanky, positively covered in moles and freckles. This is what Cisco manages to register as the man in front of him turns around; his observations are cut short when the man, clearly not expecting Cisco to be there, collides with him and the drink in his hands goes flying.

It spills all over Cisco, cold and sticky as it splashes all down his front. The man pales, immediately babbling apologies as he grabs Cisco by the shoulders.

"Sorry, sorry— oh no, it's everywhere. Where's the restroom? Through here? Come on, I'll help—"

"I don't need—" Cisco starts, but the guy is manhandling him into a small bathroom, just a toilet and a sink in an absurdly tiny room.

"Here," he says, locking the door behind them. He reaches for the hem of Cisco's shirt and starts to tug it up over his head.

"Hey," Cisco protests. "Buy me a drink first. Spilling one on me doesn't count."

"Sorry," the guy starts babbling again. "I can clean it. I can wash it under the sink and then dry it under the hand dryer."

"You don't have to—" Cisco starts. "I should just go home, anyway. Coming here was stupid."

"What? No!" he says quickly, sounding genuinely appalled at the idea. "You can't leave, you haven't even kissed anyone yet! Your soulmate could be out there. Just let me wash your shirt, okay? Imagine how guilty I'd feel if you missed meeting your soulmate because I'm clumsy."

"I— alright," Cisco sighs. "But at least tell me your name before you undress me."

The guy grins. "Barry," he answers, and this time Cisco lets him tug the shirt off.

"I'm Cisco," he says, and idly tries to clean the sticky drink off his chest, for lack of anything else to do while Barry scrubs at his soaked shirt with some liquid hand soap.

"I like that name," Barry says. "So why would coming here be stupid?"

Cisco shrugs and leans back against the wall, wincing when it's cold against his bare skin. "I don't know," he says idly. "The odds of finding your mate at one of these things is astronomical, isn't it?"

"Well," Barry says slowly, now rinsing the soap out of his shirt, "yeah, but I guess that's kind of the point, isn't it?"

"What? To make finding them nearly impossible?"

"No, not exactly. But I mean...a soulmate is special, right? The exact match for you. If you could match with three people out of four, it wouldn't matter as much, would it? They wouldn't be as exact of a match, because they'd have to be a one-size-fits all kind of personality. They're not hard to find because they're rare, they're rare because they're hard to find."

Cisco frowns. "That…" He closes his mouth. Opens it again. Stares at Barry as he reaches around Cisco to lay the wrung-out shirt on top of the lidded trashcan, then waves his hand under the hand dryer to activate the motion sensor.

"It'll probably take a few minutes," he says, just as outside the entire party suddenly erupts into shouts of, "Ten! Nine! Eight!"

"Shit," Cisco grumbles. No time to go find someone now.

He's still looking at the door when he feels Barry's hand on his waist, low on his torso at the top of his jeans. His head snaps up to find Barry's other hand reaching for his jaw, leaning in close as the shouting outside continues. Cisco's breath catches in his throat as Barry's eyes flutter shut, and then Cisco follows suit. You're not supposed to keep your eyes open during your first kiss with a new person; the shock of the color potentially flooding in can cause injuries.

Their lips meet just as the shouting outside the bathroom falls silent, the two of them joining millions of people all over the world desperately hoping that they'll be ringing in the new year with the one they'll love. Starting the year as they mean to go on.

Cisco had meant for the kiss to be brief, but Barry turns out to be a surprisingly good kisser and Cisco's content to keep it going for as long as Barry feels the same. They stand that way for awhile, Cisco caged in against the wall and Barry's thumb sending shivers up Cisco's spine as he strokes the bare skin of Cisco's waist.

Cisco presses into him, spinning them around and then backing up towards the sink on the opposite side, pulling Barry with him as he goes. Without breaking the kiss, he hops up to sit on the sink. It's a better angle for them both, since it makes Cisco a little taller and makes up the differences in their heights. He can feel Barry grin against him and step forward, bodies aligning from mouths to hips. The faucet digs a little into Cisco's lower back, but he doesn't mind so much. Barry's a _really_ good kisser.

Midnight kisses aren't supposed to go on for this long, but he's enjoying himself so what the hell? He might as well salvage something out of this night. His leg comes up, hitching itself around Barry's waist, and Barry grinds against him, rolling their hips together. Cisco groans at the feel of his hardness and reaches for the button on Barry's jeans, but he can't get it open by feel alone and finally, for the first time since midnight, opens his eyes.

Brown. Barry's hair is brown and his eyes are blue around the edges but a golden brown in the center. These words come to him like an epiphany, words for concepts he's never been able to understand. Barry licks his lips and his mouth is _red_.

"Can you—" Cisco asks quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yeah," Barry whispers. "Your eyes are beautiful."

"Oh my God."

Cisco tugs at Barry's hair, gently, taking in for the first time subtleties of real color. Not every strand is the exact same shade; some are lighter, some are darker, but together they blend together to make this beautiful brown. Barry's red mouth is turned up in a smile, his tongue pink when he darts it out to lick at his lips again. Cisco captures them both in another kiss, eyes open this time and marveling at the green of Barry's shirt, the pinkish beige of his skin. He reaches for Barry's fly again, but this time Barry stops him, pressing still more kisses onto Cisco's lips as he speaks.

"Not here," he says. "If we're soulmates — well, it's New Years, right? Start as you mean to go on. Let's not start on a bathroom sink."

Cisco laughs, too lost already to even care about the delay. Barry takes the shirt, which is mostly dry now, and offers it back to him, helping him down off the sink when Cisco's finished redressing.

"Let's go somewhere," Barry says. A walk through the city. Look at all the colors."

"Yeah," Cisco says. "Anything."

Barry grins at him, cradling his face with two gentle hands. "I want to see how much more beautiful the world is with you in it," he says softly. He kisses Cisco then, careful and gentle but with so much promise. "And then I want to start my year with you in my bed."

"Start as you mean to go on," Cisco whispers back.

"Yeah," Barry whispers into the small space between their mouths. "I intend to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd we're done! 31 ficlets in 31 days. :D


End file.
